OT: have the video games ruined the fans?

[Hemingway]

Specifically I mean the NBA Live and NBA 2k games where you can play a franchise or dynasty mode and simply simulate your way through losing seasons. Take a look at the realm board hey have a stickied post for a tanking thread but not a playoff thread.

I feel like this idea of lose lose lose, get 3 studs in the draft and then be set for 15 years has never really happened outside of video games.

It feels like a slap in the face to the players coach and overall team to see fans upset because they are winning. I am starting to get the idea that there are a lot of people who post on Cs boards everyday yet haven't watched a game all year.

[alldaboston]

I dont know about that. I mean, I play some intense NBA 2K15, and I occasionally simulate, but not through losing seasons. If I start losing alot of games, I'll stop the simulation, see what the problem is, make a trade or two, and basically do what the celtics are doing now: acquiring good players while stockpiling assets. Losing too much in nba 2k15 kinda sucks because the player progression is too good. Get a couple of top 5 picks (coupled with the horrible drafting of the CPU), along with current player progression, and suddenly you have such a stacked team that beast rookies are riding the bench.

TL;DR: Losing alot in nba 2k15 can QUICKLY make you way too good.

sorry, kinda went off topic lol

[Hemingway]

I think you proved my point.

[D.o.s.]

The Atari was around when the Rockets were tanking.


Clearly your theory is bulletproof, and certainly not causation confused for correlation.

[GreenGoggles]

Man, if you can't separate what happens in a video game to what happens in real life than you got bigger issues than tanking.

People always taking a dump on video games these days.

[Roy H.]

Perhaps with a very small portion of younger fans.

Tanking isn't necessarily new, though.  The Celtics tanked for Duncan well before franchise mode in NBA2K, and the fans were rooting for us to lose.  Fans were rooting for their franchises to lose in the Shaq draft, too.

What seems new is teams brazenly taking a multi-season approach where they have absolutely no interest in winning.  Franchises can probably do that now because they depend less on ticket sales, and more on shared TV revenue.  In other words, there's less of an incentive to manage your team in a way that keeps fans happy.  We'll see if that's a viable long-term strategy.

[jonaslopes]

Videogames, fantasy games, internet, trade machine, mock drafts, Tankathon... some guys don't care about the team right now, only about trades and draft, trades and draft. That's why some want to tank - they really don't care that much about losing tonight's game or tomorrow's. "Ah ok, I just don't need to watch; the important thing is, look!, we are going up at Tankathon!".

[indeedproceed]

I actually embrace tanking because of my Bo Jackson 2 game handheld. IT WAs two games!

[Snakehead]

I do think the fans of basketball tend to be armchair GMs regardless of whether they play video games or not these days.  It's a big part of what makes a team successful.  People aren't using ESPN trade machine for video games.

I really like how the Celtics are doing things right now and are willing to push for the playoffs.

I have played 125 hours of 2K15 though so I may be sick in the head.

[fairweatherfan]

Eh, people tend to draw too strong conclusions on that sort of thing, but the 2k style games do get a lot of fans used to instant gratification/radical changes whenever things go wrong, plus the margin of error is far, far higher than in the actual league. 

Wouldn't surprise me if it makes some fans more impatient or contributes to the "why won't Danny make the trade that no other team would ever agree to, but totally makes sense in my imagination??" mindset a few folks have, but it's a major stretch to say it's having any kind of broad impact on fans overall.

[Celtics4ever]

I think some of the bonehead trade ideas are a direct result of NBAlive and the expectations that playing it gives.   

[littleteapot]

I think some of the bonehead trade ideas are a direct result of NBAlive and the expectations that playing it gives.

I agree. We should package NBAlive with some draft picks and get Anthony Davis.

[Quetzalcoatl]

If anything I thought video games went the other way and that is why people were saying we should trade multiple firsts for Josh Smith and Rudy Gay. 

Besides, tanking absolutely has worked for teams before.  Just because it hasn't worked for every team that has tried it doesn't mean it isn't effective.

[Neurotic Guy]

Not sure if I understand this thread.  I think the OP is suggesting that tanking is an unrealistic intant gratification strategy that is born of video game mentality.  If I got that right, let me present myself as exhibit A and provide a contrasting view:

I have never played a vdeo game (well, I did play Pong and Asteroids 30 years ago, but that's it).
I am a very patient fan and have always been. I don't expect the C's to be in contention for years and I am anticipatiing, and OK with, the wait -- as long as they move in the right direction.
I am in favor of not making the playoffs because I believe this will put us in better position to acquire top talent sooner.
 

[GetLucky]

Nah. Actually, NBA2k has actually greatly increased my knowledge about the salary cap and CBA.