Hollywood Goes Gaming:

MLB Pitcher Rich Harden Games on Xbox 360

While there may be no crying in baseball, there's certainly a lot of videogame playing. The Oakland A's of Major League Baseball have a very active group of gamers, and most of them log a lot of hours playing Xbox 360™. Pitcher Rich Harden is one of the most avid gamers on his team, and he's dedicated to Xbox 360 sports games and action games.

The diamond comes to life in MLB 2K7 for Xbox 360.

"Justin Duchscherer is a huge gamer," said Harden, who is a fan 2K Sports' Major League Baseball® 2K7 game. "Danny Haren is pretty good. Van Johnson. Nick Swisher. There are a number of us that do play."

The Long Grind
With 162 games played before the playoffs and not counting Spring Training, baseball players are on the road a large part of the year. That's where playing videogames helps to kill all that extra time.

"There are a lot of the guys, especially on the road when we travel, that play games," said Harden. "There's not a whole lot to do on the road and there's a lot of down time. We'll bring our Xbox 360 and bring games. A lot of the guys will get into the baseball games. I know I'm getting more into the baseball game now, because it's so realistic. Before it wasn't as realistic. What they're doing now is a lot of fun."

"I'm an Xbox 360 guy," said Harden.
"I've always been an Xbox guy."

Being a gamer, Harden said he doesn't stop playing games when the season's over.

"Off-season, we get a ton of time to play videogames, but even during the season you need something to get away from the game and away from the field," said Harden. "You need something to help you to relax. There are a bunch of us who get together, especially on the road, and just play games."

Harden also spends time in Las Vegas, Rainbow Six Las Vegas, that is.

Play Ball
When healthy, Harden has had a great career on the mound for the Athletics. He's 26-0 in 32 starts when his team scores 4 runs or more, and he was undefeated last season for the American League West champions. When it comes to seeing himself in high-definition color, it's something else for the young pitcher.

"It's pretty cool to pitch with myself," said Harden. "They really got it right. Seeing myself pitch, mechanically, I was pretty amazed at how close it is. Of course, with the high def, from the uniforms to the pants and jersey, it's pretty realistic."

Although baseball is still a popular American pastime, in recent years, professional football has risen to the top of many sports fans' lists. That's why baseball videogames play an important role in gaining new fans, especially younger ones.

"I think baseball videogames are great to help to get the fans into the sport, especially with as realistic as the games are now," said Harden. "The fans can go out there and pick up the game and play as their favorite players … the pitchers and hitters. And I think it really helps people get involved in the sport. It helps people get out."

Harden's also a big fan of the Call of Duty franchise.

Well-Rounded Gamer
It's not just MLB 2K7 that Harden likes to play on his Xbox 360. He's a well-rounded gamer when it comes to spending time exploring virtual worlds.

"I love the Call of Duty® games and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ and Rainbow Six® Vegas games," said Harden. "I'm a Halo® 2 fan. I love the racing games like Forza Motorsport™. I pretty much like everything. It all depends on what's new out. We play a lot."

Article by John Gaudiosi