I thought this game was really really cute! I definitely had thoughts like these when I was made to play softball when I was little.
1) this game definitely captured a sensation of being forced to participate in school sports. I can definitely relate to the 12 year old.
2) I don't think anything was lacking gameplay-wise. I enjoyed just interacting with various different items. These minimal actions tell a huge story without being super in your face and I really appreciate that!