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We certainly love our basketball games here at the NLSC, so when it comes to modes like Dynasty, Association, and MyCAREER, some of us like to share the experience with our fellow gamers. In the Basketball Video Game Stories section of the NLSC Forum, several gamers maintain story threads chronicling their adventures and achievements in the virtual NBA. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be running a series of interviews with some of our most prominent storytellers, to get an insight into their experiences and discover why they enjoy maintaining story threads.
Our first interviewee is Kenny, formerly known as badreligionau. Kenny is perhaps best known in the Stories section for his NBA Live 10 Dynasty with the Denver Nuggets, The Next Level, which is one of the longest Dynasty games we’ve ever seen. More recently, he’s been sharing his journey through an NBA 2K13 Association with the Cleveland Cavaliers, now in its third season.
For those who haven’t checked them out yet – and for those who have followed them, for that matter – please tell us a little about your story thread(s).
I guess the one I’m most known for is the Denver Nuggets thread I created when I played NBA Live 10. I played through 17 seasons and had a league made up almost entirely out of generated players. I’ve also had a two My Player threads: a failed one in 2K10 and a more successful one in 2K11.
The story I’m currently maintaining is about the Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA 2K13. I recently drafted Jabari Parker with the first overall pick and I’ve had a blast controlling him so far.
What motivated you to begin and maintain a story thread?
I always enjoyed franchise modes in every sports game I played, whether it was NBA, NHL, or FIFA. When I saw that there was a section dedicated to people sharing those experiences, I wanted to be a part of that straight away.
What drew you to the mode you chose to play?
No matter what sport you’re watching, you always have an opinion what the owners should do with the franchise. The Dynasty and Association modes give you that power to heavily influence particular scenarios, and it can also give you an insight on why franchises have particular rosters.
Has maintaining a story thread enhanced your enjoyment of the games? If so, how?
It definitely has. I’ve always enjoyed writing and playing video games. With story threads, I can combine two hobbies I’m passionate about.
How did you decide on the style that you use for your story thread?
I just try to keep my layouts as simple as possible. When I’ve gotten a posting routine down, I tend to experiment a little more after that.
What’s your favourite part of running a story thread?
There are a lot of parts I enjoy about running a story thread that I like, but it all boils down to one thing: I get to write about basketball. I also think guys like Bill Simmons and Skip Bayless possibly have the best writing jobs in the world for that reason.
What’s your least favourite part of running a story thread?
I think it’s when I become overly eager and play well ahead of the story. Having to catch up with where I am in the game can be a bit tedious at times, but it pales in comparison to all the things I like about running a story thread.
Tell us about some of your favourite moments from your story thread(s).
Aside from all the championships, chasing a bunch of milestones with a generated player named Borislav Perko has definitely been my favourite experience to date. He managed to become quite a legend.
I also enjoyed getting rings for guys like Marcus Camby, Grant Hill and Yao Ming. It was also rather humorous that guys like Robert Swift and Smush Parker managed to win a championship with my team, but LeBron James didn’t win one for the entirety of my story.
Real life LeBron showed me though…
Which other story threads do you enjoy reading?
I particularly like Lamrock’s threads. He chooses interesting teams and often has a comedic element to his stories as well. I always remembered a scenario where he acquired Carl Landry, but the team’s owner (Don Nelson, I believe) wanted Landry Fields. I thought the line “I wanted Landry, not Landry,” was a classic.
You also can’t go wrong with threads by Phil89, Martti or Axel. I’ll probably check out Sit’s new one from time to time as well.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own story thread?
- Play a few games to begin with and make sure that you want to stick with the team you’ve chosen.
- Don’t make too many trades initially; even if the goal is to completely blow the team up. You might be suprised by which players you can succeed with.
- Most importantly, have fun and go at your own pace.
Thanks again to Kenny for sharing his thoughts with us! Be sure to check out his Nuggets and Cavaliers threads, and look out for the next Story Thread Interview to be posted very soon.
