Sports Video Games Are Out of Touch
In every main sports video game for the Xbox, “FIFA”, “Madden”, and “NBA2K”, there are many critics who praise the game for being the best in its class. When it comes to the actual people who play the game, most people criticism them and want them to be better. Others constantly complain about how the game doesn’t resemble the actual sport at all. I am one of those people and want the big companies to listen to the fans, not just the critics and big YouTubers.
In every one of these games there are many different modes, but the most popular in all of them is Ultimate Team or MyTeam. They are game modes that let you build your ultimate fantasy team, of players from the past and present. The problem with these game modes are that they require a certain amount of currency to be able to do anything in the game. One can acquire the currency by playing and grinding the game, or they can buy it with actual money. This is the route that most people choose and is why these games make a lot of money. Even when you buy the “points” or “VC”, you open packs to get players, and sometimes you don’t get anyone of any value. These games are teaching the younger generation to gamble real money to try and get fake players in a game, and if they don’t get a good player, they spend more money and try again.
A suggestion that many people have given is to have these games be like the hottest games on the market right now, “Fortnite” and “Apex Legends”. The consumers of these sports games want the developers to make the game free to play, while having extra things to buy with actual money. While this idea doesn’t get rid of the child gambling, it still is a better alternative to help people save money. This would be a good idea, as more people would have access to the game and more copies will be sold and the companies would not have to spend money on making disks every year for everyone. These companies mainly get their money off of people spending money on the extra “points” or “VC”, so they really wouldn’t lose that much money. This is a great way for the companies that make these games to make more money, as more people would buy the game.
Another thing with these types of games is that they come out with great content at the beginning, while at the end the developers get lazy and don’t release as much as people would like. Madden 19 is a good example of this, due to them releasing many amazing promotions and cards into the game, and then repeating the same players and cards over and over again. The games need to put the money they get from the people who buy the game, and put it back into the game, by getting more legends and past players to be in the game. I would understand if there were past players that don’t want to be in the game, but at the same time, they should at least try and negotiate with them or get people that would want to be in the game.
In all of these games, one word can describe how most people feel about it. Unrealistic. The games that these developers make are very unrealistic, with plenty of examples showing just that. One big example is the cards they give certain players and the shots they are able to make in NBA2K19. 2K gave one of the biggest draft busts of all time, Greg Oden, a 97-overall card. Greg Oden was injured for his entire career and was never even close to hitting a 90 overall. 2K, wanting to get more money by people buying packs, also gave him a good three-point rating, which is completely farfetched. Greg Oden has never attempted a three pointer in his professional career, yet 2K wanted to give him one to make people want to open packs to get him. EA also shows this in Madden, with the catching mechanics being very bad. In Madden, a 50–50 ball thrown to a receiver will always be intercepted, with a very slim chance of the receiver even touching the ball. Linebackers can also leap higher into the air than anyone in the game, which in turn leads to interceptions. These issues need to be fixed in next year’s games, to have more people purchase them.
One final topic on what could be better about these games, is they need to take more consideration and suggestions from the fans. People all over the internet have posted their criticism about the game and what they could do tom make it better, yet the people who make the games never listen. There has been some occasion where the company in question did respond to big YouTubers, so they obviously do listen to some of the suggestions. They need to do a better job at voicing what they are going to do to the game to the people who actually play it, not the critics and video game insiders. If they could incorporate an alternative way to inform the public and advertise their game better, the game would see an increase in sales, and better reviews from all.
With all of these negative things said about 2K and EA Sports, everyone should still have a massive bit of respect for these companies for all they have done to so many people. Anyone can please these games, upload them to YouTube with their own commentary, and get money off of it. They also provide a lot of people around the world with a way to get away from their troubles in life, and escape to a world where they have a more fun time than in real life. Although they may need to adjust their games and the way they do business, they have changed many lives and the way people look at and play video games for good.
