Despite the added incentive of a PlayStation Network trophy, just 54 percent of NBA 2K14 players have ever "called a play using the 2K Smart Play feature."

For NBA Live 14, the numbers look way worse. Only 6 percent of Live owners on the PlayStation Network have the trophy for "calling a play that ends up in a bucket."

Why Are Gamers Not Calling Plays?

In real life, basketball teams run set plays because they tend to create better scoring opportunities than what the players could generate on their own just by freelancing.

In basketball video games, the opposite tends to be true: freelancing is an easier, faster and much more efficient method of creating high-quality shots versus standing vulnerably in a set position and waiting for AI scripts to complete.

To summarize the key issues that are holding back video game playcalling:

• Slow, floaty passes hamper ball movement
• Complicated, multi-button controls distract gamers' focus from play execution
• AI teammates are slow to react and move without urgency
• Off-ball cuts lack precision and quickness
• Plays become disrupted or discontinued if the ball handler is not continually standing in a very exact, far too tiny circle.

Being a mere gamer, and not a software engineer, I have no solutions for the longstanding AI and passing issues that continue to diminish basketball games' fun factor. Controller issues, however, seem to be a much easier fix, especially considering the increasing use of voice recognition technology in video games.

Play calling controls are easy enough in NBA 2K14, as getting your team into a quick set is as simple as holding down the left bumper. But in NBA Live 14, running plays is a much more complex process -- too complicated, apparently, for 94 percent of the game's owners. First, the left bumper must be held down. Next, the player needs to tap a direction on the dpad to select a play type (post up, screen or isolation). Finally, the player must hit one of five possible action buttons to choose an exact play.


How Voice Commands Could Help

While NBA Live 14 decided not to include voice controls in its PlayStation 4 debut, both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of NBA 2K14 contain several helpful audio commands, which allow gamers to make strategic adjustments without having to lift a finger:
For NBA 2K15, this list could be expanded by adding voice recognition to specific offensive plays. Simply saying the name of a play like "1 clear" or "4 high" could give gamers instant access to their team's entire playbook without having to page through clumsy pop-up menus.

Voice commands could also be added for making on-the-fly substitutions and Point of Emphasis adjustments. Last names could be used to trigger substitutions, so that saying "Crawford sub for Redick" would get Jamal off the bench and take J.J. out of the game. Point of Emphasis phrases like "limit perimeter shots" and "limit transition" are already brief enough that they, too, could easily be called out loud instead of having to slowly scroll through an on-screen menu. Using players' last names to swap defensive assignments would be another welcome feature, as simply saying "George guard Anthony" is a lot more convenient than calling a time out, bringing up the matchup screen and sitting through a couple cut scenes just to change up who's guarding whom.

How else could voice controls be used to improve basketball gaming? Do you believe it should become a focus for all sports developers going forward? Share your thoughts in the comments below.