Can 2k make you a better basketball player (in real life)?

[chuey]

So interested to hear people's thoughts on this.

IMHO, the answer is a resounding yes!

I've come to very much appreciate the effort that the 2K team puts into nba 2k each year in terms of crafting a game that can actually TEACH you how to play better basketball.

For instance, even last year with its imperfect AI, it was still balanced enough that you could read an opponents offense/defense, strategize how to counter it and then actually see it play out in (mostly) sim style.

As a player myself, this helped me in real pickup games in terms of reading the D, making the right decisions on offense etc.

Now this year, wow, looks like 2k has taken it to a whole new level. I think the dream has always been, can we make a game that is so smart and sim that it can actually teach you how to run plays, read the defense in real time, how to space the floor correctly, how to leverage your players strengths while taking advantage of opponents weaknesses, etc.

From what I've seen from Czar's videos, this may very well be the case this year.

Compare this to the "other game" and I think if you took the average kid off the street, told them to play both games for like 2 days and then asked him what he learned, for one game he'd probably say he learned how to use dribble moves to break down defenders and maybe find an open man on occassion. After playing 2k, shoot, he could tell you how to run a 14 Fade or 15 Pinch, or maybe even how the best way to slow down Bron and the Heat is to opportunistically use the zone and double teams.

(Speaking of which, 2K should market this to high school coaches as a training tool. What kid would turn down mandatory 2k11 time?! Fun AND educational = Win/win!)

I don't know about you all but this is really amazing to me and a credit to the 2k team. I look forward to playing 2k11 and hopefully picking up some knowledge on strategy and plays myself, the "higher level" of basketball if you will. And I think this will only help my real life basketball IQ!

How do other folks feel?

[ggsimmonds]

I guess it did a little bit now that I think about it. I only started incorporating a hop step in my game after it became unstoppable in 2k, lol

But the strategy aspect which you speak of has had no effect on me.

[Blzer]

I will disagree. When you play this game, you are playing as the team not a player. Even if you start to understand more mental aspects as a whole, you are grasping it more as a "coach" than anything else, even if you are controlling the players themselves. I don't think it will teach you a single thing about basic basketball fundamentals, and I think that is hard to do without physical conditioning anyway.

I think I could equate it to Rock Band and real guitar playing. Are you getting the gist of what the instrument's shape is like, separating your left- and right-hand coordination and working on your rhythm? Okay, sure... but even there I think the peripheral itself is giving you more of an experience than you do in the NBA games, especially when you're just one band member and not the entire band. In the end, you're not playing the real instrument and you still have the odds in your favor for everything. When RB3 comes out however, many things may change on my aspect of the music gaming genre (which I enjoy immensely).

But again, I don't really think it can speak volumes about yourself or anyone else as a better basketball player. Sure we learn things when watching the game, especially a real life game... but it's all mental in the end anyway. Getting down on the court and doing some true subconscious fundamental work is a whole lot different than doing it on the sticks in front of your flatscreen.

[ThatSacTownKingsFan]

I'm going to say yes, being from England, and not really knowing much about Basketball when I first started playing NBA 2K (2k6) I can honestly say that I'm telling the coach at my high school all the different strategies and tactics to winning games. It improves your game at a "Basketball Knowledge" standpoint. Not so much improving your actual ability, but I believe learning the game can improve your game in the long run.

[Rebel_INS]

As a former and current (recreational) player, the answer is no. The only thing that's gonna make u a better ball player is hours of practice and consistently competing against the best competition. As realistic as the game may be, it's not gonna magically make u nicer on the hardwood or blacktop...

[LastEncore]

I play ball all the time. It made a small difference. For new hoopers you can get the same effects as watching a real game on TV. You can see how things are done and what to do in situations but execution-wise it doesn't really help.

[other]

I made my son play the my player mode to show him nobody likes a ballhog with a low shot percentage. Plus you have to defend your man and not just whoever has the ball.

[Pared]

All GOOD sports games can do this. That's why I love this genre. Teaching people how to play the sport in a better way is in my DNA.