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Monday Tip-Off: Fantasy Concepts In Sim Games

Monday Tip-Off: Fantasy Concepts In Sim Games

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with my thoughts on sim basketball games adopting fantasy concepts.

The concept of “sim” in basketball and sports gaming raises many questions. Just how much realism should a game strive for? For that matter, what is “sim”? Obviously it implies realism, but just how closely should it resemble reality? Does it mean accurate down to the last detail, or can it take some liberties for the sake of accessibility and enjoyment? It’s a balancing act that sim games have been attempting for decades now. From a gamer’s perspective, we can sometimes tailor the experience through the use of gameplay sliders, but they aren’t available in all modes.

Of course, when it comes to fantasy concepts in sim games, the issue goes beyond the action between the lines. Franchise modes are based on real aspects of the NBA, but they invite us to create our own reality with fictional results and player movement. When we place ourselves into the games to play out a career and participate in the connected online modes, it’s indulging a fantasy. Realism also goes out the window with the card collecting modes, where we can assemble fantasy lineups with players from different decades. Even the All-Time and All-Decade teams count as fantasy concepts in sim games! The question is: can we, or indeed should we, draw a line?

I believe that we can, and we should. This is not to say that there shouldn’t be fantasy concepts in sim games, or that they cannot stretch reality. That is the whole point of those concepts, after all. However, the genre of simulation sports games does require some adherence to reality, in contrast to arcade games which are fun because they’re wackier and less true to life. Furthermore, sim games still require logical design and mechanics, especially when they have a competitive scene. The issue is not that the fantasy concepts in sim games are taking liberties with realism, because once again, that is the point. It’s that the approach is resulting in an inferior gaming experience.

OP Wang Zhi Zhi Card in NBA 2K22 MyTEAM

You may have seen the straw man argument “If I wanted to play real basketball, I wouldn’t be playing a video game”, or some variation thereof. It’s a blanket statement intended to portray any criticism of fantasy concepts in sim games as missing the point, and trying to shoehorn realism in where it doesn’t belong. It’s an effective ad hominem, shifting the discussion away from real issues by making gamers defend themselves against accusations of snobbery and elitism. “It’s not real life, it’s just a game” is not a compelling defense against valid criticism of how fantasy concepts in sim games have been designed. The objection isn’t to the fantasy, but the execution.

Take MyTEAM, for example. As I noted above, the mode revolves around unrealistic scenarios, owing to the fact that you can assemble lineups of players from different eras of NBA history (including some who are no longer with us). That is the fantasy aspect of the mode, and if you’re not into that, then MyTEAM isn’t for you. That’s fine. The issue is with OP cards that don’t reflect the actual abilities of the players. It contributes to the dumbing down of MyTEAM, because collecting specific players becomes immaterial. Collecting Steph Curry isn’t exciting when an OP Shaq card can do all the same things, plus dunk like Shaq. It also messes with competitive balance.

To put it another way, there are parts of MyTEAM that benefit from fantasy, while others benefit from being grounded in reality. It wouldn’t be fun if we couldn’t have players from yesteryear alongside current players, or if the ratings of Legends were lowered to reflect their current age instead of being in their prime. There’s no fantasy element there. However, if the cards don’t allow players to perform as they actually do, it’s hardly worth using real players. Again, with OP “do everything” cards, there’s no strategy or excitement in collecting specific players, especially stars. Why use a LeBron James card if an OP Jared Jeffries card is just as good, or indeed better?

It’s not about being super serious and 100% realistic in every single way. It’s about good design and balance. The same goes for arguments against cheesy mechanics and exploits. Few are suggesting that online games must have a true to life number of dunks, or otherwise artificially enforce statistical accuracy. That would absolutely result in a contrived gameplay experience. The argument is that there shouldn’t be easily exploitable moves and OP builds that negate the need for strategy and stick skills. Realism is a factor in sim games because their mechanics are intended to be realistic at their core, but even with their fantasy concepts, good design is essential.

Frankly, “it’s a video game” is not the “gotcha” that apologists believe it to be. Video games that are based on entirely fictional properties with even more fantastic elements are subject to the same criticism. I’ll refer to a couple of my favourite examples here. Super Mario Bros. 3 and Bart vs. The Space Mutants are both 8-bit platformers that are based entirely on fiction, and thus have no constraints in terms of realism. Mario 3 is easily the superior title however, because it utilises its concepts better through its approach to controls, level design, challenge, and overall presentation. The presence of aliens doesn’t hinder Bart vs. The Space Mutants; bad design and mechanics do.

Let’s also consider franchise modes. Although they’re considered a more old school or traditional aspect of sim games, they utilise fantasy concepts as well. In modes where we assume the role of a GM and make our own moves, we’re obviously dispensing with some realism. However, we’re usually still limited by real life obstacles such as the salary cap rules, and teams and players rejecting deals due to their own interests. Considering the lopsided and surprising trades we’ll see in real life, it can be difficult to establish what constitutes an unrealistic move. To that end, an ill-advised trade by the CPU teams in a franchise mode (or a career mode) is in fact a realistic scenario.

Fantasy Concepts Can Still Be Grounded in Realism

Still, even accounting for the axiom of truth being stranger than fiction, some trades are just unlikely, and usually not what sim-oriented franchise gamers want to see from the CPU-controlled teams. For example, it would be highly unlikely that the Lakers and Nets would swap LeBron James and Kevin Durant in a random November trade. In a franchise mode with poor trade logic, it’s something you might see just for the sake of having movement between the CPU teams. The same goes for a star player signing with a new team, only to get traded back to their old one. Again, weird things do happen in the NBA, but truly unusual trades like that are very rare to say the least.

The point is that fantasy concepts in sim games still need some underlying logic in their design and execution. You can take some liberties with the gameplay without going full arcade, or removing any semblance of basketball strategy. You can have fantasy lineups without ignoring abilities, and the strengths and weaknesses that add to the challenge. You can create your own reality in franchise modes without the CPU making bizarre deals just for the sake of having player movement. We can debate the amount of realism that sim games inject into their fantasy concepts, but the bottom line is that to be well-designed, they must be balanced and logical in their own way.

Indeed, it’s possible for developers to err in arcade basketball games too, despite the freedom to be creative and unrealistic. For example, various players’ ratings in the classic NBA Jam games are inaccurate. While it doesn’t ruin the games, it does mean that you can use players in a way that you really shouldn’t be able to in order to win. Also, just as leaning too far into the “fantasy” part of fantasy concepts in sim games can detract from the experience, trying to inject too much reality into arcade games is an issue, too. The shot meter/shooting mechanics in the NBA Playgrounds series, and the fouls in NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, arguably stand as two examples of that.

All-Time Clippers vs All-Time Nets (NBA 2K22)

Getting back to sim games, the issue isn’t that fantasy concepts eschew realism, but the way in which they’ve chosen to be unrealistic. Beyond that, flaws in the gameplay and a lack of competitive balance can impede the fun, even if you don’t care about a lack of realism. Content such as classic teams and All-Time teams is watered down if the players don’t have appropriate ratings and animations. It undermines the entire point of representing NBA history if the depiction isn’t accurate. Think of it like a plot hole in a movie or TV show. The fact that the events are entirely fictional, that it’s just a show or movie, doesn’t mean it isn’t bad writing. The same goes for game design.

Yes, NBA 2K is a video game. It is intended to be a realistic depiction of the NBA and the sport of basketball though, and even the parts that are based in fantasy still need to be well-designed. The fact that it’s a video game doesn’t mean that anything and everything goes if concepts don’t mesh, just as fantasy and sci-fi elements don’t explain or excuse poor storytelling in games or other media. I like having fantasy concepts in sim games, but they can be implemented badly, and that isn’t justified by the medium or the intended breaks from reality. Everyone’s mileage will vary, but there are good and bad ways to play loose with realism. The former is preferable.

Again, think of game design as you would the writing in fiction. The presence of dragons and magic doesn’t invalidate the criticism of Game of Thrones’ final season. Likewise, the fantasy lineup aspect of MyTEAM and the All-Time squads doesn’t render player accuracy pointless. Strong controls and gameplay balance is no less important just because the basketball is virtual. Fiction and fantasy don’t remove the need for logic and structure, especially in games intended to be realistic at their core. It’s disingenuous to suggest that all criticism of fantasy concepts in sim games stems from snobby obsession with realism, rather than a desire to see them done well.

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