never declared that it was going to have a collaborative rule-making process, but that’s what it was.”
Fast-forward a couple of years. Wilson moved to
Portland, Ore., was working long hours and blowing
off steam playing Roachball with his co-workers.
They noticed the resemblance of the collaborative,
improvisational nature of open source software to
Roachball, and decided to rename it OSBall (
pronounced “ossball” or “ozball”). They created an
OSS-like structure for modifying the game.
Wilson is OSBall’s project leader and serves as
the editor of the rules wiki ( osball.org). Although the
attitude is lighthearted, he sees OSBall as a serious
alternative sport, with advantages over other sports.
“The challenge,” he says, “is motivating enough
people to play existing ball games.” OSBall can be
played with a smaller number of people than other
sports, so it’s easier to get a group together. It’s
fast-paced, so you can play a couple of innings over
lunch. It’s a little dangerous because of the close
quarters (“But not too bad,” Wilson says). And,
like skateboarding or parkour (a freestyle urban-navigation activity), the rules encompass available
terrain, so you don’t need formal playfields, and it
can be played in crowded cities.
In addition, the OSBall team hopes to take the
ideas beyond a ball game. They’re planning a library
of ideas for collaborative, improvisational activities
they’ve had, and creating “a packet of stuff that you
can use for something totally different.”
Mike Kuniavsky is a San Francisco- and Portland-based
ubiquitous computing and user-experience consultant and
writer who blogs at orangecone.com.
OSBall: Game Play and Rules
OSBall borrows from existing sports. From cricket it borrows the two-base system of
running and scoring. From soccer it borrows the idea that hands can only be used while
throwing into the court from the sidelines. From kickball it borrows the notion of a
pitcher who rolls the ball to a kicker. From dodgeball it borrows the ability to get someone “out” by hitting them with the ball. From bocce ball it borrows the court.
Two teams of 3 players.
Play a set number of innings ( 3 innings is a good
introductory length, 6 is a fairly intense game,
9 is tournament length).
Flip for offense or defense choice.
All players must be in the court at all times.
Defense team can position anywhere, but it’s
advised to have one pitcher, one catcher, and one
outfielder ( 1 team member at each end and
1 in the center).
Offense team congregates around home base.
The ball is pitched, hands OK.
Kicked ball must remain inside court; if it goes out
this is a strike.
If the kicked ball goes out of bounds and hasn’t
touched the ground yet (airball) a defense player can
catch it (outside the court) for a catch-out.
3 strikes you are out.
3 outs = 1/2 inning (switch offense to defense).
Kicker runs to other base, avoiding any contact
with the ball.
Physical blocking of the runner is prohibited.
Runner may not step outside the court, and may not
step on top of the court’s retaining wall.
Defense players can exit the court during play
only if the ball has already left the court.
Defense players can use their hands while outside
the court to throw the ball at runners.
If any body part is touching the base “end” wall
(home base or other base) runner is safe.
The runner may decide to return to home base in the
same turn (home run), but this is purely optional.
When the second player kicks, the first runner has
the option to stay put ( 2 runners can share a base,
but 3 cannot, as this would cause a lack of a kicker).
A point is scored for every player returning home
before the moment of the third out.
Photograph by Jason Wilson
88 Make: Volume 08
