In the standardized world of the NFL, when head coach Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos bucked convention and went for the win by attempting the two-point conversion instead of going for the tie, there was a collective gasp across the sports announcing and viewing nation. That’s what happens when conventional wisdom is pushed aside by free will, when the unexpected happens, when truth is stranger than fiction.

This is exactly what sports gamers are hoping for in their games. They want to feel like they are part of a random, open-ended world where anything can happen. They do not want to have the clock run out on a game, only to peek behind the green curtain and see that the wizard is simply an old man pulling their strings. Yet when something off-the-wall happens, they groan, roll their eyes and cry, “Yeah, right, like that would ever happen in real life.”

Yet, the gamers who clamor for randomness and variability in their games are the same gamers who whine the loudest when the results of their fictional world stretch the boundaries of real-world statistics. What are developers to do? Is it possible to create a game that is both predictable and realistic during simulations, yet it has moments that make you go “huh?” while playing. How far can developers go before the illusion is lost and they make a realistic simulation that feels completely pre-programmed? Why doesn't a gamer accept that his running back just rushed for 301 yards in a single game? After all, that is only five yards more than Adrian Peterson’s current record. It seems to be an unavoidable paradox: creating a fictional sports event that exudes plausibility.

..all sports games have identifiable components that make gamers bemoan the lack of a realism versus entertainment balance..

Developers lie under Damocles’ sword when it comes to the customer's expectation of realism versus, perhaps more importantly, entertainment. It is no wonder then, that currently, all sports games have identifiable components that make gamers bemoan the lack of a realism versus entertainment balance: the mythical “comeback AI” supposedly keeps all games close for higher entertainment value; and certain money plays (mixed in with foolish A.I.) lead to big-time gains all the time for entertainment purposes.

So how much realism do gamers really want? Do they want their star quarterback to have his season ended in the first quarter of the first game of the year? Are developers afraid to throw a player like Tom Brady into the random injury pool because the gamer will be unhappy and cry, “Come on, that’s not fair!” After all, the customer is always right, right? Balancing the randomness of real life and the enjoyment of the game has got to be the toughest job for a developer. We all want to win, but nobody wants to feel like they were given the win. We didn't want dad to let us win as soon as we were old enough to figure out he was letting us win. We want to feel like we earned it; and, the unusual, seemingly random events in sports games could add extreme value to the sensation that we won based on our own merit, not due to the logic in the game.

I worry at times that developers feel handcuffed by the wishy-washy, flip-flop demands of their customers. The developers can not have that NFL running back rush for a record amount of yards because the player will say, “No player has ever rushed for 301 yards in one game. That is ridiculous!” So, they limit the maximum range of yards that can be gained based on the average yards gained in a real-life game. The developers do not have a baseball bounce off the head of Jose Canseco and over the wall for a home run -- even though it actually happened -- because gamers have yet to react with maturity and reason when real-life oddities occur in their games.

It is imperative that they know about the nuances of the sport they are developing for to the degree that they understand when and how often to allow for the impossible.

The responsibility is shared by each camp, the developer and the gamer. The developer must slightly stretch the boundaries at first; but, over time add in such things as increasing min-max ranges that alter the statistics. The first time you send your running back up the middle from your own 1-yard line, it may not be realistic for him to scamper 99 yards for the touchdown. However, later in the season, it would not only be realistic, but dependent on the talents of your running back -- hell it may even be expected when you take into account the worn down defense. That is where the responsibility of the developer begins. It is imperative that they know about the nuances of the sport they are developing for to the degree that they understand when and how often to allow for the impossible. If the developers are willing to conquer the precipice of the unknown, then it is the gamers’ responsibility to accept aberrations and anomalies in gameplay, not as failed logic and developer error, but rather as curve balls that life -- real life -- can throw at them from time to time.

In any medium, those who create fiction always debate and squirm when thinking about the plausibility of what they have created. “Is it realistic?” Then they toss out the crazy idea -- the one where the driving force of their fictional major league baseball team gets injured before the World Series, yet on half a leg swings the bat and wins Game 1 while barely being able to make it around the bases -- out the proverbial window and settle for only what they think the audience will accept. What the audience deems the norm. So I offer the following and suggest with a gentle prod and a wink, that truth is stranger than fiction. Don’t be afraid to allow the unexpected, giving fiction the chance to shine. Besides, sooner or later, truth will strike back and you’ll hear your favorite announcer screaming on the television, “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!?"

If the gamer learns to accept events outside of the statistical norm, then the developers will gain enough security to stretch the boundaries of virtual sports play. When that day comes, truth and fiction will coexist AND entertain.