Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five unexpected benefits of basketball video games.

Like most devotees of the virtual hardwood, I got into basketball games because they combine two things that I enjoy; obviously, video games and basketball! To that end, the main benefit of basketball games has been countless hours of fun playing a virtual representation of my favourite sport. When I was a kid getting into hoops back in the 90s, basketball games helped to educate me about the NBA, and become familiar with some lesser-known players. They’ve allowed me to re-create iconic moments, indulge fantasies, play out What If scenarios, and basically just have more fun with basketball.

You can’t really ask for more than that out of one of your favourite hobbies! However, there have been some other, more unexpected benefits of basketball games. I couldn’t have ever imagined those benefits when I was excitedly installing NBA Live 96 and NBA Jam Tournament Edition on the family PC and renting NBA Live 95 for Super Nintendo from the video store all those years ago. While basketball games would’ve remained an enjoyable pastime for me even without these unexpected benefits, they certainly make me grateful that I took and maintained an interest in them! Indeed, I’m sure that basketball games have given many of us more than just fun on the sticks.

1. Introduction to New Music

Although there was something undeniably special about the original music in early NBA Live titles and other 90s classics, the switch to licensed tracks in basketball games did bring some unexpected benefits. Basketball video game soundtracks have featured some fantastic commercial songs over the years, to the point where we can’t hear them without thinking of the game they were in! Game studios have partnered with some of the biggest names in music, and of course NBA Live 2003’s soundtrack even went platinum. As such, for me basketball games have been an effective way of discovering new music, whether I ended up liking a band or artist, or just one song.

Now, I’ll admit that might say more about me than basketball games! Mind you, I’ve seen other people talk about discovering new music – or at least really coming to like a particular song – thanks to hearing it in one of their favourite hoops titles. It’s why I think basketball video game soundtracks should feature a variety of genres, including underground artists and other unexpected choices. Both NBA Live and NBA 2K have had soundtracks that introduced me to songs and artists I might not have otherwise gone out of my way to listen to. Granted, I don’t have too many favourites from any recent NBA 2K titles, but they’re still an avenue to find new additions to my playlists.

2. Creative Outlets

When I first got into basketball gaming, I wasn’t thinking about modding, or creating any other kind of content for public consumption. Even after I started my own site and later took over the NLSC from our founders, I didn’t envision creating content about basketball games for as long as I have been. While discovering the NLSC encouraged me to become a part of the modding scene and articles were the next step for original content, I couldn’t have foreseen that I’d also be making videos and podcasts. To be fair, that wasn’t on anyone’s mind back in the day, but the point is that as the years have passed, my enjoyment of basketball games has led to creating a ton of content.

Trying my hand at a little bit of everything – mods, articles, videos, and podcasts – has been incredibly satisfying! Much as basketball gaming combined two of my interests, content creation has allowed me to combine it with a passion for writing, discussion, history, and trivia. It’s encouraged me to hone skills and learn new ones, especially when it comes to audio and video editing. Creativity should be driven by passion and enthusiasm, so in that respect, it’s not surprising that basketball and video games are what inspired me to produce content. Nevertheless, I couldn’t have expected creative outlets to be one of the benefits of basketball games when I got into them in the 90s.

3. Friendships Spanning the Globe

My interest in basketball games led me to discover the NLSC when my family got the internet in 1997, which in turn led me to join the community that our founders had established. It’s not only allowed me to form acquaintanceships with my fellow hoops fans and gamers, but also develop some genuine friendships. It’s been fun connecting with people here in Australia, but those friendships have also spanned the globe. A lot has been said about the ills of the internet and social media, and frankly, I’m inclined to agree. With that being said, the ability to talk to people all over the world about an interest that I’m passionate about is a benefit that ultimately outweighs the drawbacks.

Not to sound corny, but while distance and some cultural differences may separate us, a love of basketball and basketball gaming has brought many of us together. Dee and I have reflected more than once – both on the podcast and off-air – on how cool it was to discover how much we had in common, despite growing up on opposite sides of the world. If not for basketball games, we wouldn’t have met and developed a friendship that has allowed us to have fun connecting to play and create content, or just chat. I value my friendships with Dee, the members of NLSC THRILLHO, and other cool people that I’ve been able to meet thanks to the wider basketball gaming community.

4. Overseas Trips

To date, the only times that I’ve been overseas have been on EA Sports’ dime. I would like to have a proper overseas holiday at some point, but all the same, those trips to Canada and the United States for NBA Live community events were all wonderful experiences. When I was playing through my modded 1998 season in NBA Live 96 PC, I never dreamed of being flown overseas to visit the EA Sports studios and play a game that was still in development. In fact, even after I took over the NLSC, I didn’t expect to have that opportunity. I’m not cheap to fly in, so when EA held an event for NBA Live 2005, friend and long-time Forum member Shane attended in my stead.

Fortunately, EA didn’t rule out the possibility of flying me in for future events; shout out to the community managers and producers who advocated for my attendance! My first event was in 2006 for NBA Live 07, and while that game obviously didn’t turn out the way we were hoping, it was still great for us to get some scoops. Beyond that, it was huge for me personally to finally fly overseas, and for a basketball video game event no less! From touring the EA Canada studios to attending the 2007 NBA Draft to getting a hands-on preview of games and providing feedback directly to the team, I treasure those memories and the opportunities that a love of basketball gaming led to.

5. Interviews & Industry Insights

Needless to say, getting to attend community events and being able to chat with the developers directly has provided me with some fascinating insights into how video games are made. Conducting interviews with developers and chatting to friends who have been hired by EA Sports or Visual Concepts has also been illuminating. I think there are some misconceptions when it comes to video game development, though I’d suggest that we probably all have more insights into the process now than we did as kids in the 90s! In any case, it’s been great to receive explanations as well as receive confirmation about things that I’ve always wondered about, or strongly suspected.

It’s definitely been a thrill to talk to the people who were involved with the games that solidified my love of the virtual hardwood. It was really cool to finally talk to Rod Reddekopp, one of the key members of the original NBA Live development team. And of course, it was an absolute blast to talk to Tim Kitzrow, the legendary voice of NBA Jam. Once again, I was able to ask about things that I’d wondered about for decades, and even when there wasn’t a definitive answer – such as the mystery of the scream in NBA Jam Tournament Edition – I’m still glad I had the opportunity to ask. The more insights I’ve gained into game development, the more I appreciate them.

What have been some of the unexpected benefits that you’ve reaped from basketball games? Can you relate to any of the ones that I’ve mentioned here? Let me know in the comments, and as always, feel free to take the discussion to the NLSC Forum! That’s all for this week, so thanks for checking in, have a great weekend, and please join me again next Friday for another Five.