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Monday Tip-Off

Monday Tip-Off: What Your Shot Chart Says About You

Monday Tip-Off: What Your Shot Chart Says About You

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a look at what your shot chart says about your style of play on the virtual hardwood.

Well, that’s a trashy, clickbait headline if ever I’ve used one! Then again, is it still a clickbait title if it’s kind of making fun of clickbait and trashy, vapid headlines? Arguably, yes. What if I’m truly intending to run some hopefully thought-provoking experiments and share the results? Probably still a bit cheesy! Anyway, have you ever really looked at your shot chart after a game? If you haven’t, there’s no shame. After all, whether you won or lost, hit a statistical goal, or achieved some measure of progression in a mode, tends to be the more pertinent and interesting information.

And yet, it’s interesting to look at our shot chart. As in a real NBA game, it says a lot about how we shot the ball and ran our offense. To that end, it can provide insights into how we won or lost. In video games, it also illustrates some common gaming habits, the reasons for which are interesting to delve into. I’ll admit that I haven’t made a habit of looking at my shot chart after games in recent years, probably because I’ve been focused on grinding for VC and Badge XP rather than playing a sim style in MyCAREER. However, in the interests of experimenting, exploring theories, and self-reflection, I decided that I’d see what my shot charts look like these days.

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Monday Tip-Off: MyCAREER Is An NBA Speedrun

Monday Tip-Off: MyCAREER Is An NBA Speedrun

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on how MyCAREER is essentially an NBA speedrun.

When I recall my virtual achievements in MyCAREER, it’s not to brag. First of all, it’s a basketball video game. While we do take basketball gaming fairly seriously around these parts, in the grand scheme of things, I wouldn’t count what I’ve done on the virtual hardwood as achieving important life goals. Furthermore, while I’ll never invalidate the single player experience, it’s easier to master a predictable AI than it is to be successful in competitive multiplayer. I’m also far from the only person to put up ridiculous numbers in MyCAREER, and win several virtual NBA championships.

On top of that, a new game comes out every year. Some of my best performances in the NBA side of MyCAREER aren’t unique to a single game in the series, let alone compared to gamers everywhere. If there is anything that I can take pride in when it comes to the MyCAREER experience – and I’m sure many others can say the same – it’s efficiency in milestones and levelling up. The tasks required to qualify for the Hall of Fame in MyCAREER are not difficult to perform on the sticks, but doing so within the span of a year does require successful employment of specific strategies. To that point, MyCAREER is essentially a speedrun of an NBA career by design.

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Monday Tip-Off: The Addictiveness of Grinding

Monday Tip-Off: The Addictiveness of Grinding

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with some reflections on the addictiveness of grinding in modes such as MyCAREER and MyTEAM.

Much has been written about the predatory mechanics found in NBA 2K, and many other Triple-A video games over the past generation. On several occasions, I’ve joined the chorus of people who have criticised the practice. There have been many articles and videos that have discussed how recurrent revenue mechanics prey on those who struggle with impulse control and addictive personalities. That remains a huge issue, and I still condemn those mechanics. Regardless, even if you opt for a “No Money Spent” approach, you can still find yourself getting hooked.

I’ve at long last properly begun a MyNBA game in NBA 2K22, marking an overdue return to franchise gaming. If you know how long I’ve been talking about wanting to do that due to feeling burned out on MyCAREER, you can appreciate how big of a deal that is for me! I feel energised having returned to my roots as a franchise gamer, in no small part due to revisiting MyGM in NBA 2K14. However, I’ve been thinking about why it took so long, and why I continued to spend time with MyCAREER and its connected modes, with a detour to MyTEAM in NBA 2K21. I’ve realised that even if you resist the pressure of microtransactions, there’s addictiveness in the grinding.

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Monday Tip-Off: Goodwill Goes Both Ways

Monday Tip-Off: Goodwill Goes Both Ways

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with some frank thoughts on how goodwill goes both ways when it comes to basketball gamers, and basketball video game developers.

It’s neither a stretch nor a startling revelation that the relationship between the NBA 2K developers and NBA 2K gamers is not as cordial as it once was. There was a time when 2K was the darling of basketball gaming. While EA Sports failed to deliver with NBA Live, Visual Concepts was going from strength to strength with NBA 2K. They listened, they innovated, and their hard work paid off. NBA Live was no longer in the picture, and while that was a sad outcome in many ways, the superior hoops game had conquered the market. Unlike Madden, they did it through quality, not exclusitivity.

Such a track record of excellence and gamer satisfaction fosters trust and goodwill in the brand. That’s not to say that the product was always perfect, because no game is. The quality was consistently impressive though, and the developer blogs during the preview seasons felt trustworthy because the games seemingly always delivered. In recent years, however, that trust and goodwill has diminished. For our part, we’re an angrier fanbase that as a whole, doesn’t always engage as politely as we should. We have reasons to be upset and our terseness is understandable, but I also sympathise with the devs’ frustration. Goodwill is vital in this relationship, and it goes both ways.

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Monday Tip-Off: The Myopia of Mastering Mechanics

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on how there’s a certain amount of myopia that comes with mastering mechanics on the virtual hardwood.

I think we can all agree that there should be some degree of challenge in basketball video games. A game that is easily mastered and beaten tends to be boring, though hoops titles – even sim-oriented ones – should nevertheless be accessible, and feature easier difficulty levels. When it comes to the virtual hardwood, there needn’t be a challenge on the level of the Souls series, or games like Returnal, the roguelike that was released earlier this year. Arcade or sim, they’re about representing the sport of basketball, not being exceedingly challenging and for the hardest of the hardcore.

At the same time, a certain amount of challenge and skill is expected of the online competitive scene. The best competitors are the ones mastering the mechanics and strategies that allow them to dominate and defeat their fellow gamers, not just the AI. Even offline, mastery on the sticks will allow gamers to rise to the sometimes unfair challenges of the Hall of Fame difficulty setting. This is obviously achieved through practice and dedication, which is a fair demand for the most challenging experiences in basketball gaming to make. However, in evaluating design principles and overall appeal and accessibility, mastering mechanics does unfortunately lead to myopia.

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Monday Tip-Off: Awaiting The Next Retro Kick

Monday Tip-Off: Awaiting The Next Retro Kick

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts as I anticipate going on another retro basketball gaming kick.

As I said when I discussed my approach to playing through a retro basketball gaming kick, a major factor in an old title re-entering my rotation is its ability to provide me with something I need or desire from the virtual hardwood. It may be closure, or satisfying curiosity. Sometimes it’s simplicity and/or familiarity, especially if I’m not really hooked by the latest release. On top of that, I’ve found that my nostalgia comes in phases. I’m not only nostalgic for a single era or a narrow selection of games, and the urge to revisit specific titles can be influenced by factors unrelated to basketball.

Two examples that I’ve often cited in that regard are NBA Live 2002 and NBA Live 2003. They were the titles that came out as I was in my final years of high school back in 2001 and 2002, and represent the early days of my tenure running the NLSC. That entry into young adulthood coincided with a transitional era in the NBA, and when I’ve reflected on that time, I’ve been drawn to dust off those games. On the other hand, my decision to revisit NBA Live 06, NBA Live 10, and NBA 2K14, were all driven by content creation and pure whim. As such, it’s difficult to say which game will capture my attention and result in another retro kick in the near future.

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Monday Tip-Off: How I Came To Love Assists

Monday Tip-Off: How I Came To Love Assists

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with the story how I came to love assists, and why I still enjoy dropping dimes on the virtual hardwood.

Even though they’re frequently a point of contention, statistics are an important aspect of basketball. Fans love citing them, and many of the sport’s biggest stars have been enthusiastic about accumulating them. Traditionally, it’s been about putting up points. Scoring is what gets attention, and ultimately, racking up more points than the other team is how you win games. Players have also sought other statistical feats, such as triple-doubles. With stats being such an inextricable part of hoops, it’s only natural that our enthusiasm for numbers carries over to video games as well.

It’s fun to achieve eye-popping numbers on the virtual hardwood, but over the years, it’s also become a necessity. After all, big games are what earn us the most VC and XP in MyCAREER and its connected modes. As such, they’re an unavoidable part of the grind in career and online team play. It’s a logical approach, though unfortunately it does contribute to toxicity by encouraging a Player One mindset. However, there is a stat that’s usually (but not always) racked up with less selfishness: assists. Having played MyCAREER and its connected modes in several different games now, I’ve grown extremely fond of accumulating assists in both online and offline play.

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Monday Tip-Off: Playing Out A Retro Gaming Kick

Monday Tip-Off: Playing Out A Retro Gaming Kick

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with an explanation of how I play through a retro gaming kick, and ultimately move on.

Retro basketball gaming – or indeed, retro gaming in general – isn’t for everyone. I can appreciate that it may be difficult to relate to the appeal if you’re not really a nostalgic person, though you can likely still understand why others enjoy it. I outlined some of those reasons in a Wayback Wednesday article, for those who may find it genuinely puzzling, and are wondering in good faith. In short, those of us who play old hoops games enjoy partaking in the fun and familiar, giving titles a second chance (or a first look if we originally skipped them), and reminiscing about the NBA of yesteryear.

I’ve discussed the reasons why we go back, but not how a retro gaming kick plays out; or at least, how it does for me. I’ve found myself on a retro gaming kick for three older basketball games this year. Each time, I had to see my fixation through to the end. I’m certain that not everyone who enjoys retro basketball gaming experiences a kick the same way that I do, but at the same time, I’m probably not the only person who has had an old release find its way back into their rotation. If nothing else, this may be an insight into why a few games have made recurring appearances in my Wayback Wednesday features, as well as the NLSC Podcast throughout 2021.

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Monday Tip-Off: Possible Is Not The Same As Preferable

Monday Tip-Off: Possible Is Not The Same As Preferable

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with my thoughts on the difference between “possible” and “preferable”, when it comes to the design of in-game economies.

In last week’s Monday Tip-Off, I discussed the rising cost of MyCAREER, comparing the price of upgrading a MyPLAYER in NBA 2K14 to NBA 2K22. Thanks to a few prominent content creators sharing our Tweet promoting the article, it gained some traction on Twitter. I’m grateful for the exposure, as this is an important issue for MyCAREER gamers. I was heartened by the general response to the Tweet, as it seemed to resonate. It appears to have placed a figure on what many people already suspected, and validated frustration with the current approach to Virtual Currency.

Of course, I wasn’t surprised that there were some attempts to justify the increasing cost that I discussed. There were a handful of replies or quote Tweets that simply said “inflation”, pointed out ways of earning VC, argued that the game is good this year, or basically shrugged in acceptance that this is the way of things now. I understand those arguments, but many of them do miss the bigger picture and overall point. It’s clear who read the article and who didn’t, without even going into the Tweet analytics. To that end, this follow-up article will probably likewise go unread by those individuals. Nevertheless, I want to clarify that “possible” and “preferable” aren’t always the same.

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Monday Tip-Off: The Rising Cost of MyCAREER

Monday Tip-Off: The Rising Cost of MyCAREER

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a frank discussion of how the cost of upgrading your MyPLAYER has been steadily rising in MyCAREER.

Virtual Currency in NBA 2K is nothing new. Since NBA 2K13 on consoles and NBA 2K15 on PC, gamers have been able to purchase 2K’s in-game currency and spend it on MyPLAYER upgrades and MyTEAM packs. As far too many apologists readily chirp up to inform us, it isn’t actually necessary to buy VC. It’s merely a shortcut for gamers that are impatient, short on time, and flush with disposable income…or so they’d have you believe, anyway. While the justifications for microtransactions are flimsy at best, it is true that they’ve been a part of NBA 2K for almost a decade now.

That longevity doesn’t excuse their intrusiveness and impact on game design, though scores of shrugging shills will claim otherwise. To dismiss concerns about recurrent revenue mechanics by framing them as a tired criticism that needs to be put to bed is to ignore the increasingly pushy nature of them. In all fairness, it isn’t always because someone is shilling, although that does undoubtedly happen. It’s also the result of annual releases, as we forget the exact figures of payouts and price tags; the specifics of each game’s economy. With that in mind, it might shock some people to see just how much the cost of upgrades has been rising in MyCAREER since NBA 2K14.

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Monday Tip-Off: Balancing Consequences & Fun

Monday Tip-Off: Balancing Consequences & Fun

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with my thoughts on the delicate balancing act between consequences and fun in hoops gaming.

Developing a video game that satisfies its target audience is easier said than done; not just from a technical standpoint, but a conceptual one as well. That’s because even within a specific demographic, there are different preferences and approaches to gaming. Some people like exploration, storytelling, and immersion. Others prefer a more competitive atmosphere. One may prefer video games to be a fun distraction, while others want a challenge and choices with consequences. These are all valid preferences, and thus catering to them all as best as possible is a daunting task.

That is nevertheless the goal that I believe basketball games have been striving for, with mixed results. Of course, to a certain extent, consequences are supposed to be part of the fun, because therein lies the challenge and the game. In a team building mode, there’s currency to budget, and strategies to assembling a squad that’s both successful and fun to play with. In single player career modes, there’s likewise budgeting of in-game currency, optimal build choices, and efficient methods for grinding. Making the right choices is all part of the experience, but without the right balance, the consequences can be too severe and thus detract from the fun.

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Monday Tip-Off: The Upper End of the Demographic

Monday Tip-Off: The Upper End of the Demographic

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with some reflections on being at the upper end of the basketball gaming demographic.

For all the criticism that The Simpsons receives for staying on the air as long as it has, it continues to be referenced in memes. Such is its impact on pop culture, and online discourse. There are two references to The Simpsons that are frequently trotted out to comment on age, and not surprisingly, they both involve that lovable curmudgeon, Abraham Simpson. In a flashback where a young Homer mocks Abe for being out of touch, Abe very ominously warns that when it comes to no longer being “with it“, it’ll also happen to Homer one day. Abe is also the infamous old man yelling at a cloud.

Now that I’m around Homer’s canonical age, I have to admit that I’m starting to feel what he felt in that episode. At the same time, I also relate to what Abe was talking about. Even though we Millennials are still copping flak from older generations, to Gen Z, we’reold heads“, too. We grew up admiring different players, and the video games we played didn’t have microtransactions. Our expectations are therefore quite different, and it’s apparent that many features are not aimed at us. As I said, I’m far closer to Homer in age than I am to Abe, but as I find myself at the upper end of the basketball gaming demographic, Grampa’s warning thus feels increasingly apt.

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Monday Tip-Off: Why We Pretend & Defend Games

Monday Tip-Off: Why We Pretend & Defend Games

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a discussion of why we defend games, to the point where we downplay issues and even pretend that they don’t exist.

This is a difficult topic to broach without sounding snobby, or as though I’m accusing anyone who likes something that I dislike of being ignorant, easily pleased, or a shill. That line of thinking is just as toxic and unconstructive as fanboyism and shilling, and equally fallacious. We all have different tastes and expectations, as well as thresholds of satisfaction and disappointment. When someone sees fit to defend games that they enjoy, there isn’t necessarily anything pretend about it. Those are their honest feelings about the game, and genuine reasons for their enjoyment.

And yet, there are times that we do pretend when we defend games. We’ve all done it at some point. It doesn’t always mean that we don’t enjoy them, but to a certain extent we’re lying – both to others and to ourselves – about a game’s overall quality (or lack thereof). In the most extreme cases, it is indeed shilling for a title, or at the very least fanboyism polluting the discourse. However, there are innocent and understandable reasons that we attempt to pretend that everything’s fine and defend games; even when there’s no drawback to being critical (or indeed, it would actually benefit us to speak out on the issues). Unfortunately, they make it difficult to curb the habit.

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Monday Tip-Off: Vanilla Basketball Gaming

Monday Tip-Off: Vanilla Basketball Gaming

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on how my basketball gaming habits are more vanilla than they used to be.

Over the years, there are two initiatives within our community that have gone a long way in improving the basketball gaming experience after a title is released: modding, and slider tweaks. Mods have added missing content, created new experiences such as retro, college, and foreign league rosters, and attempted to fix issues with the games wherever possible. When it comes to refining the gameplay, devising the right slider adjustments has made a huge difference for many gamers. In short, few would say that playing the game as-is – vanilla basketball gaming, if you will – is optimal.

During my time as a content creator in the basketball gaming community, I’ve created roster mods, and I’ve devised sets of slider tweaks. I’ve also installed other people’s mods, and tried out their sliders. However, I have to admit that my basketball gaming habits have changed over the past decade or so, to the point where you might say that I’m playing a vanilla game. This isn’t because I don’t appreciate the hard work of our modding community, nor is it because I believe that games can’t be improved upon with slider tweaks. Rather, a combination of my preferred modes, primary platform, and even my content creation habits, have led to more vanilla basketball gaming.

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Monday Tip-Off: Reviewing New Basketball Game

Monday Tip-Off: Reviewing New Basketball Game

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with an admittedly snarky parody that demonstrates how all too many people who cover hoops gaming go about reviewing a New Basketball Game.

In the interests of transparency, I’ve toyed around with the idea of writing an article like this for some time. However, after reading this delightfully meta piece over on Kotaku, I believe that it’s only fair that I should credit it for inspiring me to actually go through with it. Besides, it’s not as though I invited parody or satire. As it stands, The Friday Five is, shall we say, “heavily inspired” by the format of Cracked’s articles (or BuzzFeed, or anyone else producing “listicle” content, I suppose). My Wayback Wednesday feature shares its name with a popular social media hashtag.

The point is that I cannot claim one hundred percent originality in my content. Of course, that’s only appropriate when I discuss the approach that so many influencers and video game journalists have towards reviewing the New Basketball Game every year. So many basketball game reviews are copy and paste fare, though again, some might argue that it’s apt given the genre. They seldom demonstrate insight into the sport – real or virtual – and neglect the nagging legacy issues that ardent basketball gamers want to know about. So many reviews are puff pieces and glorified press releases. I don’t share them anymore, because they all sound something like this.

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