An Open Letter to NBA2K

 Dear Mr. Schug Sr.,

I must begin by stating that Take-Two Interactive has thrived in its community communication, as shown through things like 2KTV and active support services, which are a testament to your community management skills. For this reason, I am hopeful you will be receptive to these recommendations. The NBA 2K franchise has been an absolute cornerstone of my childhood and the game will always hold a special place in my heart. I have played every 2K game since 2K7 through 2K21 now, and thus, I have seen the progression of the game over the last decade and a half. As with any franchise running that long, there have been a great many steps forward as well as some stumbles and setbacks. However, recently it seems as though the steps forward have only been attempted in two modes: MyCareer (allowing players to create their own player and live the life of an NBA star) and MyTeam (a trading card game that allows players to collect their favorite NBA legends and stars on one team). Changes and additions to these modes are the primary selling points for players buying the newest version of the game every year, as demonstrated by over 85% of players reporting these to be their most played mode in 2K20. While it may seem intuitive to focus development on what is most played, I would argue that the cause of those modes being played most isn’t based on genuine enjoyment or simple user preferences, but rather the fact that 2K has either removed or neglected almost every other game mode.

While MyCareer and MyTeam get updated throughout the season with community events, new challenges, fresh content, and special minigames, the game’s only other specialized mode MyLeague has remained largely unchanged over recent years. Further, 2K has gradually removed most offline game modes from the game as new versions are released. These include the dunk contest, three-point shootout, Creating a Legend, and the historical player challenges. When seeing this lack of progression and even clear steps backward in every other game mode, it shouldn’t be a surprise that people flock to the only modes that have shown real signs of growth. This funneling of players to MyCareer and MyTeam is also rather transparently in pursuit of squeezing more money out of users that already paid full price for the game.

Both of these modes are structured to incentivize players to pay extra in order not only to get ahead but just to enjoy the online experience at all. In MyCareer, the game’s “Virtual Currency” (VC) system, which is what allows users to upgrade their MyPlayer, provides users with about 1000 VC after each ~20 minute MyCareer game. To get their MyPlayer to level 85, considered to be about average online, it would cost the user 190,000 VC, amounting to over 60 hours of gameplay. Alternatively, 2K gives users the option to spend real money on as much VC as they want, to skip the grind. If players were to simply buy their way to level 85, it would cost them an additional $50 on top of the original $60 price of the game. Unsurprisingly, many players do this instead of playing countless hours with a terrible MyPlayer. This creates a huge gap between people who pay to improve their stats and those who don’t, leaving the latter too underpowered to be even remotely competitive online, and encouraging them to cough up more cash. Meanwhile, the MyTeam mode uses card packs, similar to the real-life packs for sports card collectors. Players can use VC (either saved up or bought in bulk) to buy these packs, which each have a very slim chance of containing a high-level player, while the vast majority don’t contain anything useful. This is essentially gambling in a game targeted at children and the practice has been marred in controversy. While the ethics of these modes are more than questionable, I understand the route Take-Two Interactive has decided to go with the game, as it is the most profitable. However, there are still reasons to consider changing this formula.

First, if the next 2K game were to feature more offline modes (maybe even reviving some from the past), it would begin to reverse the funneling of players to the currently dominant online modes. While these modes may be more profitable than offline, a decrease in the number of players online at any given time would provide huge improvements to every online mode. For example, the Park system used for online MyCareer games involves a lot of waiting around for a game to be available and very little actual basketball. This seems like a patchwork solution to get around buying more servers, with 2K instead preferring instead to throw a large number of players into each server and let them deal with the wait times and lag that goes with that. In other words, the Park worsens the experience for all users. However, if the servers weren’t so burdened by the previously mentioned 85% of the player base, 2K would be able to change the matchmaking system, doing away with the park and instead allowing teams to play each other in their own servers, as is the case for most online games. By improving the quality of all modes, 2K allows players to see the best parts of each of them and they will want to continue playing the game.

Second, the domination of microtransactions and a lack of innovation in 2K games has led to a ratings decline in recent years with the last three 2K games consecutively securing the franchise’s lowest ratings since 2010. Currently, it is only a lack of competition that keeps people flocking back to 2K, as their microtransaction and gambling-centric game structures have received significant criticism. However, gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA) has recently announced that it is planning to release new basketball content for next-generation consoles in an attempt to undermine 2K’s domination over the basketball gaming scene. If 2K were to show more versatility in coming games, allowing players to play modes that don’t require payment to be enjoyed, it would have very little to worry about from EA due to its credibility and history in the genre. However, the 2K franchise risks losing its stranglehold over basketball video games if it continues to frustrate players with microtransactions and a lack of variety.

Finally, it is important to address the ethical concerns present in 2K’s current game structure. Microtransactions are infamous today in many genres of gaming and are nearly universally loathed. Players who already cough up a significant chunk of money just buying games are asked to pay even more if they want to enjoy them. But perhaps more importantly, the pack feature of MyTeam actively encourages people, very often children (2K has gaming’s “E for everyone” rating), to spend real money gambling on pack luck to unlock their favorite players. Two scenarios can arise from this: users either get or don’t get a good player from a pack they bought with real money. If users get a decent player, they will be more likely to pay more in hopes of repeating their success (similar to someone who believes they are simply luckier than everyone else in the casino) and thus a gambling habit has been reinforced. If users don’t get a decent player, they spent money on nothing and still lack good players for their team, encouraging them to try their luck again. When a significant portion of your player base is children, it is highly unethical to create a system that incentivizes gambling so much. Just let them play their basketball video game without risking the development of a gambling problem.

Ultimately, the 2K franchise would be doing itself a favor by increasing its focus on offline modes outside of MyCareer and MyTeam. Not only does it improve the quality of the game, but it also fends off a coming challenge from EA and alleviates some of the ethical concerns brought against 2K. Take-Two Interactive could even start by simply adding a few old modes back into the game and making an effort to improve offline innovation in future releases. The franchise and community would be well-served by such an action.

Sincerely,

Ben Phillips