Whose Page Are We Supposed to Be On?
Whenever someone says, “We all need to be on the same page to get the boxing game we want,” it sounds good in theory. Unity. Direction. Shared vision. But the real question hiding underneath is the most important one: whose page are we talking about, and who gets to sign off on that page?
The Illusion of a Single Page
Boxing fans aren’t a monolith. Hardcore sim-first fans want realistic mechanics, stamina, vulnerability, AI tendencies, and full creation suites. Casual players may want faster gameplay, more highlight-reel knockouts, and less punishment for mistakes. Competitive players sometimes prioritize balance over authenticity.
So when someone says “same page,” what they really mean is “my page.” They want everyone to align under their definition of what matters most. But boxing gaming is not that simple. There isn’t one universal “page” because the sport itself has layers: strategic, tactical, psychological, cultural, historical, and competitive.
Who Holds the Pen?
The next layer of the question: who decides what makes it onto that page?
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Developers? They have deadlines, budgets, and publishers influencing scope.
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Publishers? They usually want sales over authenticity, and sales often come from the casual crowd.
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Players? Even within the community, one fan’s dream feature is another fan’s waste of resources.
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Boxers and Historians? They push for accuracy, legacy, and respect for the sport’s depth.
When you realize how many hands are on the pen, the “page” metaphor feels less like a clean agreement and more like a crowded, messy draft with scribbles in every margin.
The Real Issue: Whose Standards?
If the “same page” idea is to work, it requires a shared standard. But in boxing gaming, standards differ:
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Sim fans argue realism is competitiveness, because stamina, footwork, and tendencies create natural chess-like balance.
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Arcade-leaning fans think fun comes first, even if it means bending realism.
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Companies may compromise to sell to both groups, and that’s where the hybrid mess happens.
So the real issue isn’t “getting on the same page”—it’s which standards are worth protecting, and which ones we’re willing to bend.
The Hard Truth
Saying “we need to be on the same page” skips the real fight. The fight is over who holds the authority to define what boxing gaming should look like. And unless the voices of hardcore, sim-minded fans are actually represented at the table—not silenced as “gatekeepers” or brushed off as too niche—the page will always tilt toward the lowest common denominator.
We don’t need everyone on the same page. We need clear lanes, transparent design philosophies, and honest representation of what each mode is trying to deliver.
Because until then, “the same page” is just another way of saying: “Whose page do you want to erase?”
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