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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 enjoyable it can be to play exhibition games on the virtual hardwood.
If you’re familiar with my stance on the importance of deep modes in basketball games, then this week’s topic might be understandably confusing. After all, I’m on record saying that a game cannot sustain interest if it doesn’t have at least one mode that can keep its audience hooked. I do stand by that, and one only needs to look at how NBA Live’s shallow modes over the past generation have failed to maintain the same engagement and enthusiasm as the experiences on offer in NBA 2K. In 2021, a basketball game needs to have both variety and depth in its modes.
However, there’s obviously still a use for exhibition play, or Play Now as it’s usually called in NBA Live and NBA 2K alike. More than that though, there’s a lot of fun to be had in exhibition games. The irony here is that while I advocate for deep modes because of their longevity, goals, and consequences, it’s the lack of stakes and long-term ramifications that I find so appealing about jumping into Play Now. As much as I enjoy progressing through a mode and achieving some sense of completion, I can also find great satisfaction in playing a game that doesn’t count towards anything. In fact, it could be argued that exhibition games are where we can be the most creative.
The functional use of exhibition play is obvious, so I won’t spend too much time reflecting upon it. Needless to say, there are times when we don’t want the results to count. If you’re getting used to a game that has introduced new mechanics, or perhaps dusting off an old favourite, it’s a way to get accommodated to or reacquainted with the gameplay in a competitive setting without consequence. If you’re a content creator in need of screenshots, it’s convenient for setting up the desired scenario. No matter how much basketball video games will change and evolve, there’ll always be a desire and need to set up and play quick games that don’t matter. It’s an evergreen feature.
Perhaps because of that, it’s easy to underestimate the fun that can be had with exhibition play. In that regard, it’s similar to Playoffs mode in how its lack of depth allows it to be easily overlooked. We naturally seek out the challenges, goals, and intricacies of other modes: levelling up a player and taking them online in career modes with their connected experiences, running an NBA team in franchise modes, or building strong lineups and dominating with them in the card collecting modes. I’ve played all of those modes over the years, and enjoyed them immensely. They’re what I play the most, appreciating the journey and the sense of accomplishment they offer.
To that end though, it can be a while before I achieve satisfaction in those modes. Just as Playoffs mode provides a quick path to the most exciting part of the NBA calendar, exhibition play offers more immediate gratification than regular season games in the career and franchise modes, or the various submodes in experiences such as Ultimate Team and MyTEAM. It’s comparable to a satisfying online game, but the quality of the experience is more consistent when you’re not dealing with the toxicity of the online scene. If nothing else, Play Now is a good way of taking a break from modes where there are stakes in the results, freshening things up in a low pressure scenario.
I’ve been playing some more exhibition games in various titles as of late, and let me tell you: after years of grinding to improve a MyPLAYER for online team play, it’s been so refreshing to just play virtual basketball! In the long run, I believe it’ll prove to be a good way to ease back into the franchise experience as well, but in the short term, it’s been such an enjoyable change of pace. Although I have enjoyed playing MyCAREER and MyTEAM and made some fun memories with those modes, they can feel like work; especially MyCAREER. The knowledge that I’ll have to start over next year is also in the back of my mind, and that does detract from the satisfaction.
That isn’t the case with exhibition games. Granted, outside of screenshots or videos, I have nothing tangible to show for them afterwards as I do with a levelled-up player or a collection of desirable cards. By the same token, of course, I don’t have anything to lose, either. Now that the servers are down, I can’t convert my MyCAREER saves for NBA 2K17 and NBA 2K19 to offline files and keep playing them. Those Galaxy Opal cards I collected in NBA 2K19’s MyTEAM? I’ll never be able to play with them again. I can, however, play as many exhibition games as I like in those titles, and any other old favourite that I care to revisit, creating fun new memories in the process.
I’ll admit that in a current game – which as of this writing is NBA 2K21 – I’m more inclined to spend time in a mode where the results matter. Mind you, I’m not against setting up an appealing match-up in Play Now when a mode is beginning to feel stale and repetitive. This is where the bevy of historical content – even though there are problems with the ratings and other player attributes – comes in handy. When I feel like playing a game but don’t want to have to worry about any stakes or making any progress, I’ll play out a historical scenario, be it a non-specific regular season clash, or a re-creation of a significant game from a memorable NBA Finals or Playoffs series.
Sometimes that takes a little prep work, and that’s where the creativity comes in. As I mentioned in Episode #381 of the NLSC Podcast, when I felt like playing a game of NBA 2K14 on PlayStation 4, I made a couple of roster edits to change the ’94 Rockets into the ’95 squad, and took them into a game against the ’95 Magic. This wasn’t part of any larger plan to re-play the 1995 NBA Finals; it was just a nostalgic scenario to mess around with. I also took screenshots and kept clips of a couple of plays that I liked. It’s always useful to have them on hand for content creation, but even if I never use all of them, I’ve got them for posterity, and I enjoyed getting the overtime victory.
My games with Dee4Three are also examples. Technically speaking, Fantasy Teams mode in NBA Live 10 is separate to Play Now, but it’s likewise exhibition play. It does take more prep work to set up the retro teams that we’ve been playing with, but figuring out which teams and specific games that we can re-create has been part of the fun. It’s also been a novelty to play over Parsec and head-to-head, re-creating a local multiplayer experience across the globe. This has been a change of pace from playing against the CPU, cooperatively with my cousin, or against the wider community in the online team play modes. It’s resulted in some great games, and a few satisfying wins.
Imagination and self-imposed importance undoubtedly play a huge role in the fun of exhibition games. Naturally there’s nostalgia in playing with those retro teams – both the “real” ones in NBA 2K and the makeshift ones in NBA Live 10 – but also in the creativity of the scenario. Before modes evolved to become as deep as they did, we had to use our imagination to enhance the experience. Even when franchise modes came along, fantasy scenarios were always a way of spicing things up. I love the retro match-ups that we’ve created with our games over Parsec, and the reels that Derek has put together. They’re exhibition games, but the scenarios make them feel meaningful.
On top of that, I’ve enjoyed the minimalist approach, both in the Parsec games and in any Play Now exhibitions that I’ve played solo. I have a great appreciation for detailed roster mods, having been involved with several such projects over the years. There’s something really fun about quickly throwing together a workable scenario though, be it retro teams with the players that are available in NBA Live 10, or making minor changes to NBA 2K’s historical squads to set up a game from a different season. I don’t need complete accuracy when all I’m doing is jumping into a quick game. I don’t even need to play twelve minute quarters. It’s about the moments, not the numbers.
There’s an interesting phenomenon with exhibition games in which they feel freer because the results don’t count, yet you still remain competitive. I don’t enjoy losing no matter which mode I’m playing, but after a competitive exhibition game where I’ve been on the wrong side of the ledger, there’s no lasting damage. I may fume, but I’ll return to it soon. In comparison, the nature of online team play games often leaves me feeling discouraged after a loss, and disinterested in playing further. Similarly, the frustration of missing goals and slowing my progress in MyTEAM is off-putting, especially when it feels as though the CPU didn’t play fair. It’s harder to shrug it off.
In other words, just because exhibition games don’t count, it doesn’t mean that you don’t care enough to try. There’s still some level of commitment and competitiveness; at the end of the day, gamers want to beat games, and each other. I could never play exhibition games exclusively in basketball titles, because I do want the intricate depth and challenge that comes with the franchise, career, and card collecting experiences. At a certain point, I do want games that are tangibly meaningful, and part of some form of progression through a mode. If the only games I could stand to play were in Play Now, I wouldn’t feel like I was truly getting my money’s worth out of a release.
At the same time, the amount of freedom and creative possibilities is what makes Play Now games and other exhibition modes such as Fantasy Teams worthwhile, and an appealing change of pace to the more structured experiences. I can attest to having a great time playing through franchise mode seasons, turning my MyPLAYER into a star and jumping into the online arena, and collecting some great cards in MyTEAM. I still want those modes to be as deep and well-made as possible, and I remain eager to spend time with them. It’s been a real joy to rediscover the appeal of exhibition play, though. With a fun scenario, a standalone clash needn’t be devoid of meaning.
