Trial and Error

When I first started playing NBA 2K10, I struggled immensely. The game controls were new and difficult to grasp, the computer was much more challenging to play against, and I felt completely out of rhythm. Not only did I struggle when I played, but when I simulated games, my teams were losing and I couldn't understand why. My players had solid rankings, I had a combination of youth and veteran leadership, and players with a variety of talent. Unfortunately, the first two seasons I played ended with me losing the majority of my games and winding up with a top 5 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery.

Just like in life, my gameplay experience taught me that I needed to make changes. I used the "trial and error" method to see what was wrong. First, I noticed that my payroll was way too high and that I needed to clear up cap space and avoid overpaying veteran players. Second, I found out that instead of progressing as the season went on, players like Shaq and Steve Nash were not performing to the level that I had expected they would play at. As soon as I traded them, I noticed a positive jump in my teams performance. By the end of the season, we had made the playoffs, and although we didn't make it to the championship, we were heading in the right direction.

This was the first real life application that I was faced with in the game. When we experience hardships, we need to find a way to get through them and the trial and error process helped me analyze the situation, explore my options, make a critical decision, and use statistical analysis to weigh the outcome. This process is something we do every day of our lives whether or not we are subconsciously aware of it.

Why 2K10 (January 21st 2010)

For my first post, I wanted to talk about why I picked NBA 2K10. If you know me, I am an avid sports fan. However, my experience playing sports games is pretty much limited to Madden and the NCAA College football series. I thought that playing a basketball game would be fun, and keep me interested for an entire semester. After I knew that I wanted to play a basketball game, the choice was between the 2K version and the EA Sports version. Whether it was FIFA, NHL, Madden, or NCAA, every sports game I have ever played was made by EA and I figured that playing a game made by a different company would broaden my perspective of video games. Besides the unbelievable graphics, the part of the game that seems most intriguing to me is the dynasty mode. It is my dream job to be the GM of a professional sports team and running a sports franchise in a video game is the closest I can physically get at this point in my life.

Since I got the game, I have begun my dynasty with my beloved Chicago Bulls. I have played two complete seasons and unfortunately have not had too much success. However, things are looking optimistic for season three. A new coach and a couple rookies may just bring the bulls back to the playoffs.