<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
minimalist	O
sports	O
video	O
game	O
by	O
Action	O
Button	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
to	O
six	O
human	O
and	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
players	O
form	O
two	O
teams	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
uses	O
an	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
and	O
a	O
single	O
button	O
to	O
control	O
triangles	O
that	O
shoot	O
charged	O
projectiles	O
at	O
a	O
ball	O
and	O
other	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
has	O
a	O
simple	O
visual	O
style	O
with	O
bright	O
colors	O
,	O
basic	O
shapes	O
,	O
and	O
many	O
customization	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
originated	O
in	O
a	O
dare	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
"	O
one-button	O
StarCraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
designer	O
and	O
Action	O
Button	O
founder	O
Tim	O
Rogers	O
prototyped	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
challenged	O
himself	O
to	O
keep	O
its	O
game	O
mechanics	O
spartan	O
and	O
accessible	O
,	O
yet	O
challenging	O
for	O
competitive	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Action	O
Button	O
and	O
publisher	O
Iron	O
Galaxy	O
released	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
platforms	O
on	O
July	O
12	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
releases	O
were	O
planned	O
,	O
but	O
have	O
since	O
been	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
received	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
plays	O
as	O
a	O
two-dimensional	O
hybrid	O
of	O
air	O
hockey	O
and	O
soccer	B-Application
on	O
a	O
single	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
player	O
uses	O
an	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
to	O
control	O
a	O
triangle-shaped	O
avatar	O
and	O
presses	O
a	O
single	O
button	O
to	O
shoot	O
triangle-shaped	O
projectiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
supports	O
up	O
to	O
six	O
human	O
or	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
players	O
in	O
local	O
and	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
,	O
except	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
has	O
a	O
human	O
player	O
limit	O
of	O
four	O
per	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
has	O
team	O
and	O
ranked	O
matchmaking	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
no	O
set	O
practice	O
game	O
mode	O
,	O
but	O
players	O
can	O
train	O
against	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
opponents	O
in	O
exhibition	O
matches	O
and	O
the	O
scenario-based	O
Arcade	O
mode	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
faces	O
two	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
opponents	O
in	O
specific	O
level	O
configurations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Arcade	O
mode	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
personalities	O
each	O
have	O
fitting	O
names	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Homer	O
(	O
who	O
stays	O
near	O
its	O
endzone	O
)	O
and	O
Punchy	O
(	O
who	O
bullies	O
players	O
with	O
projectiles	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
rules	O
are	O
fully	O
customizable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
designer	O
Tim	O
Rogers	O
describes	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
"	O
an	O
abstract	O
minimalist	O
electronic	O
sport	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
development	O
began	O
as	O
a	O
dare	O
from	O
QWOP	B-Application
developer	O
Bennett	O
Foddy	O
,	O
Rogers	O
's	O
friend	O
,	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
"	O
one-button	O
StarCraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogers	O
,	O
the	O
founder	O
of	O
Action	O
Button	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
made	O
what	O
he	O
estimated	O
as	O
40	O
or	O
50	O
inconsequential	O
prototypes	O
before	O
adding	O
an	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
to	O
the	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
evolved	O
from	O
a	O
slow-paced	O
strategy	B-Application
game	I-Application
to	O
a	O
fast-paced	O
sports	O
game	O
as	O
it	O
graduated	O
from	O
early	O
prototypes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogers	O
conceived	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
as	O
a	O
sport	O
without	O
narrative	O
or	O
artifice	O
and	O
thus	O
sought	O
to	O
avoid	O
traditional	O
video	O
game	O
metaphors	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
knowing	O
the	O
triangle	O
avatars	O
and	O
projectiles	O
as	O
"	O
ships	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
bullets	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
designer	O
applied	O
his	O
conception	O
of	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
3	I-Application
"	O
sticky	O
friction	O
"	O
a	O
sense	O
through	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
feels	O
the	O
physics	O
affecting	O
their	O
avatarto	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogers	O
emphasized	O
the	O
importance	O
of	O
strategy	O
in	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
players	O
in	O
prototype	O
games	O
played	O
roles	O
or	O
zones	O
like	O
in	O
competitive	O
basketball	B-Application
(	O
e.g	O
,	O
center	O
or	O
forward	O
positions	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogers	O
has	O
livestreamed	O
prerelease	O
sessions	O
of	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
via	O
Twitch	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
broadcast	O
gameplay	O
from	O
Twitch	B-Application
's	O
booth	O
at	O
PAX	O
East	O
2014	O
with	O
indie	O
publisher	O
Midnight	O
City	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
was	O
selected	O
for	O
the	O
July	O
2014	O
Evolution	O
Championship	O
Series	O
fighting	O
game	O
tournament	O
's	O
Indie	O
Showcase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
had	O
plans	O
to	O
include	O
cross-platform	B-Application
multiplayer	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
more	O
than	O
six	O
simultaneous	O
players	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
campaign	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videoball	B-Operating_System
was	O
planned	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
ultimately	O
launched	O
on	O
July	O
12	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Iron	O
Galaxy	O
as	O
its	O
publisher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
releases	O
were	O
planned	O
,	O
but	O
have	O
since	O
been	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pre-release	O
reviewers	O
all	O
cited	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
minimalism	O
both	O
in	O
aesthetics	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
and	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
the	O
skill	O
and	O
strategy	O
of	O
football	O
and	O
basketball	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
Wes	O
Fenlon	O
found	O
himself	O
thinking	O
about	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
daily	O
after	O
last	O
playing	O
two	O
weeks	O
prior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
credited	O
its	O
"	O
addictive	O
sort	O
of	O
fun	O
"	O
and	O
his	O
own	O
excitement	O
for	O
local	O
multiplayer	O
on	O
PC	O
alongside	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Hokra	B-Application
and	O
TowerFall	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
compared	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
controls	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Asteroids	B-Application
and	O
contrasted	O
its	O
simplicity	O
with	O
the	O
100-hour	O
onboarding	O
process	O
for	O
League	B-Application
of	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
,	O
having	O
learned	O
how	O
to	O
play	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
in	O
just	O
"	O
a	O
couple	O
minutes	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Polygon	O
Tracey	O
Lien	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
feel	O
to	O
basketball	B-Application
,	O
football	O
,	O
and	O
hockey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graham	O
Smith	O
(	O
Rock	O
,	O
Paper	O
,	O
Shotgun	O
)	O
found	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
difficult	O
to	O
spectate	O
and	O
had	O
trouble	O
distinguishing	O
between	O
the	O
players	O
 '	O
triangle	O
avatars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
compared	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
to	O
other	O
games	O
including	O
the	O
South	O
Asian	O
board	O
game	O
Carrom	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
cross	O
between	O
Asteroids	B-Application
(	O
1979	O
)	O
and	O
Rocket	B-Application
League	I-Application
(	O
2015	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
reviewer	O
wrote	O
that	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
was	O
the	O
2016	O
equivalent	O
of	O
Rocket	B-Application
League	I-Application
,	O
in	O
that	O
both	O
had	O
idiosyncratic	O
concepts	O
and	O
little	O
prior	O
anticipation	O
,	O
but	O
simple	O
and	O
fun	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samit	O
Sakar	O
(	O
Polygon	O
)	O
felt	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
in	O
control	O
of	O
all	O
parts	O
of	O
his	O
play	O
,	O
even	O
as	O
he	O
lost	O
to	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
opponents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Nic	O
Rowen	O
(	O
Destructoid	O
)	O
said	O
that	O
he	O
would	O
normally	O
avoid	O
game	O
mechanics	O
discussion	O
in	O
his	O
reviews	O
,	O
"	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
is	O
all	O
about	O
its	O
mechanics	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Polygon	O
initially	O
wanted	O
a	O
tutorial	O
mode	O
but	O
ultimately	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
single-player	O
Arcade	O
mode	O
,	O
with	O
set	O
scenarios	O
against	O
two	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
opponents	O
,	O
filled	O
this	O
need	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Polygon	O
and	O
Destructoid	O
praised	O
the	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
of	O
the	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
avatars	O
,	O
GameSpot	O
wrote	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
simple	O
,	O
and	O
often	O
ignored	O
balls	O
during	O
single-player	O
matches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
reviewer	O
wrote	O
that	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
audiovisual	O
replication	O
of	O
1990s-era	O
Sega	O
aesthetics	O
triggered	O
instant	O
"	O
warm	O
and	O
fuzzy	O
...	O
nostalgia	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Calixto	O
of	O
Kill	O
Screen	O
concluded	O
that	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
"	O
feels	O
like	O
it	O
's	O
trying	O
to	O
knock	O
down	O
barriers	O
to	O
entry	O
"	O
in	O
its	O
"	O
bubbly	O
and	O
peaceful	O
"	O
visual	O
design	O
,	O
with	O
gradients	O
and	O
90s	O
Japanese	O
arcade-style	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Calixto	O
of	O
Kill	O
Screen	O
said	O
that	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
countered	O
a	O
trend	O
in	O
games	O
culture	O
that	O
relied	O
on	O
learning	O
professional	O
strategies	O
online	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
play	O
competitively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
cited	O
the	O
affordances	O
for	O
experimentation	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
controls	O
and	O
saw	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
as	O
being	O
primarily	O
concerned	O
with	O
awakening	O
"	O
its	O
own	O
brand	O
of	O
DIY	O
metagaming	O
"	O
,	O
hence	O
the	O
reviewer	O
's	O
interest	O
in	O
naming	O
his	O
own	O
techniques	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Rowen	O
(	O
Destructoid	O
)	O
doubted	O
that	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
eSports	O
,	O
he	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
made	O
for	O
good	O
local	O
multiplayer	O
fun	O
,	O
and	O
vastly	O
preferred	O
the	O
experience	O
of	O
local	O
to	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
compared	O
the	O
title	O
to	O
Super	B-Application
Bomberman	I-Application
in	O
how	O
quickly	O
the	O
game	O
escalates	O
from	O
a	O
friendly	O
match	O
to	O
cut-throat	O
competition	O
.	O
</s>
