Selected for 2K TeamUp? EARN THIS...

Some have been in the sports gaming community long enough to remember my "Earn this EA" piece right after the NFL exclusivity deal was struck post Madden 2005. I searched high and wide on the internet to find it, but I had no luck. The gist of it was this: Due to the fact that EA was going to be the sole provider of NFL football games they would do well to have a premier product with stellar gameplay and quality that made everyone forget games like NFL 2K and GameDay ever existed.



Well we all know how it turned out. Madden 10 and 12 are essentially the only products seven years later that can even be mentioned as "having a solid foundation" the rest were, well...largely garbage. In the spirit of that long-lost article and the recent 2K TeamUp Community Initiative announcement, i'd like to ask the same favor of those that are going to be chosen to represent the community at 2K Headquarters..."EARN THIS."

Those who know me well know I don't like to mince words and i'm not afraid to tell the truth/call things as I see them. Not in a rude way, but I won't deny I have a sincere habit of being unfailingly honest. Some will remember my "calling out" of the EA Gamechanger program that I was once a part of (almost ten years ago when Nathan Fahrenthold was the running things on the community side) for having a few too many "secondary marketers" on the team. This caused somewhat of an uproar in the community and admittedly hurt a few feelings, but so be it--if you were one of those that proclaimed those many sub-par Maddens were "great games" (and I made it clear it wasn't everyone) yearly you deserved to be called out for SUPPORTING LOW QUALITY instead of TELLING THE COMMUNITY TO PASS. At a basic level there's an unspoken rule where gamers don't let each other waste money on bad games...and a few of those guys violated it.

Pastapadre wrote something on Twitter that made me think. "I have my issues with these programs. 2K one isnt even for feedback. 2K13 is done. Its just "see the game then help market for us." While I don't agree with the core of that statement, it's important and here's why: I appreciate that Pasta never hesitates to call attention to what he feels are attempts to manipulate or take advantage of gaming communities (it must be a MaddenNation thing, Pasta--we both got our start there) The simple truth is that direct dialogue between core gamers and developers is long overdue, and in the end these "programs" are what we make of them; no one can force anyone to return from a community event and say good things that aren't true. That said, personally i'm not the least bit interested in "secondary marketing" and while I think NBA 2K is a great franchise, if that's what the powers that be have in mind, please don't consider me. In my mind, at its core this program is about building a relationship for the future so that the first patch for 2K13 is focused on the relevant issues the game will face, and more importantly so that NBA 2K14 and beyond are the masterpieces we all know they can be. Last night I decided to put together a checklist of things for the TeamUp Team to consider:

1. Understand your Value - As a veteran of the 2K series you know the game's nuances and are very familiar with its workings, the feedback you provide to developers is like gold. Never forget this.

2. Be Honest with the Community - There's no need to try to sell games for 2K, that's marketing's job. Just be honest in your evaluation of the product. If the game is worthy of selling, it WILL. Still, if something at the event excites you--share it with the community. If something doesn't? Share that too.

3. Be Balanced - Don't be so enarmored with the new features that you forget to make sure long-time issues have been addressed. 2K does a great job eliminating past exploits every year but it's always best to be sure. There's nothing wrong with a little testing for quality.

4. Think Community - A person who understands they're part of a community accepts that things won't be done within that group that only benefit them. They agree that decisions should be based on how they affect everyone. A community shares many of the same values and is cohesive. Railing against Legends, too many advertisements or the New Player Experience because you don't need one or think its "unnecessary" doesn't serve the whole and neglects the greater good. Whining about things like the the lack of an information portal or auto-defense serves no one. Especially if they're things all players have to deal with. The majority of players must be considered when making decisions. There's no doubt that we must consider and take into account the minority as well, but core changes can't be made that only suit a small percentage of the group.

5.  Be Reasonable - We have to temper expectations and be realistic and reasonable. The game doesn't suck if it doesn't have a sim-friendly dunk contest, and your favorite team doesn't have all of its alternate uniforms. Maybe it doesn't have all of the Legends you wanted, but consider this: Is the gameplay stellar overall? Do you think it has a future? Because of countless broken developer promises, gamers are understandably wary of phrases like "it's a process" or "we're looking into it" but is it possible some of these things may be addressed in the future? If the answer to those questions is yes, stick around. the game may be the start of an experience that will be slowly transformed into a masterpiece.

6.  Share Alternatives - Contribute with a solution if you have an issue. Maybe you think the game doesn't call enough fouls or that open jump shots should fall more. Start by contributing your suggestion in an intelligent fashion, but understand that just because developers don't respond to your every whim that it doesn't mean they haven't been considered. Most of all, consider the fact that sometimes the thing you want may not be part of the vision that the developers have for the game, and that the answer to "What about fuchsia headbands?" could be NO. Developers have a vision that they want to deliver, and maybe the tech for advanced collision detection this gen causes too many visual hiccups hurting the game graphically. We're speculating here, but we have to trust the developers to see the big picture. If any developer has earned our trust and patience, its these guys.

7. Choose your Battles -  FACT: You won't like everything. But have some perspective when it comes to your expectations. Maybe you hate that pump-faking, lack of fouls and lob passes are poorly done, but do you have a revolutionary sports game as a whole? Let's make sure we pick our battles. When all else fails list the game's Pros and Cons and then decide if your issues are worthy of complaint, sometimes the thing that we personally dislike isn't as big an issue as we would believe.

8. Stalwart in your goal, Fluid in the approach - There are some things you should stand your ground on but be open to the options we talked about earlier. The lack of feature-heavy and deep online package must be resolved. Anyone who plays the game understands online cannot exist in its current state. As much as it is beating a dead horse this has to be communicated early and often. Offensive/Defensive balance needs some major tweaking, we'd love to see the Defense Stick and Defensive Square Up we mentioned in the past, but we're willing to wait until the next-gen for it. Fastbreaks, a more intuitive passing system, resolving the Speed Issue and reintroducing Crews? These are elements that are vital to the success of the game and they need to be communicated as such. For my money Crew adds a social element to the sports genre that is sorely lacking. To not capitalize on it is baffling.

Well as always, that's my two cents worth. I'd like to congratulate in advance those lucky enough to be chosen. Never forget that you have the ability to set the tone for future interactions with 2K and their core fanbase. The timing is pivotal as the next generation is right around the corner and 2K needs to make as great a transition as they did before. The responsibility you hold is larger than you think--even still, don't forget to enjoy yourselves. Never forget that we do this for fun.