My First Sports Video Game Is A Rugby Game, And I Am Full Of Regret

February 24, 2026 - 00:51

Venturing into the world of sports video games for the first time is a rite of passage for many. For one new player, however, that inaugural experience has become a lesson in frustration and regret, all thanks to the complex and punishing world of rugby.

The player's choice was a digital rugby simulation, a sport they admitted to having little real-world knowledge of. The result was a perfect storm of confusion. The intricate rules, the specific strategies for set pieces like scrums and lineouts, and the nuanced flow between defense and attack created a steep and unforgiving learning curve.

Instead of the anticipated fun, sessions have been marked by a series of humbling digital defeats and a profound sense of being lost. The experience underscores a universal truth in gaming: diving headfirst into a simulation of a deeply technical sport, without any foundational understanding, is a recipe for struggle. It turns out that attempting to master a game about a sport you don't comprehend is, unsurprisingly, not a path to success. The player is left to ponder whether to persevere through the pain or simply cut their losses and try a different genre entirely.