I started playing video games back around 1986-87. Generally it was Atari 2600 or 7800 to start. I remember playing a soccer game that had a little pixel that beeped and booped around the screen. I also remember I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Regardless, I had fun with the game for what it was. It was the same for other titles like Pole Position and Food Fight.
In the coming years I played Bases Loaded 1-3, Tecmo Bowl, Tecmo Super Bowl, NBA Jam, NBA Live, Madden, the list goes on and on. Guess what – I played these game because I enjoyed them. I am sure you have played the same games and quite a few I haven’t. I bet you wax nostalgic about some of them because they were so much fun. For me – Madden 2005, MVP Baseball 2005 and NBA 2K5 are my pinnacle for sports gaming.
I have the same frustrations at times. There has been a drastic drop-off in actual game quality especially for Franchise Modes. I won’t argue with that as being a fact. But, there has to be accountability in the community as well.
While games have become billion-dollar industries the communities have become cesspools of PVP cheaters and jaded keyboard warriors/YouTubers. I can’t read a single post on Reddit threads without some cold take about a feature being broken or not working as intended. I can’t play a single game of PVP without running into someone that isn’t cheesing or cheating in some way shape or form. It is tiresome and worst of all – lazy.
The sports gaming community has some truly good members out there. The ones who haven’t sold out to be ‘influencers’ for EA, 2K, and SDS are generally hard to find thanks to algos or the fact that they simply mind their business and enjoy the game. Sometimes, you will find them on forums or Reddit with downvoted posts because they actually enjoy what they are doing or are trying to find answers to questions. I enjoy those gamers and what they bring to the table.
While there are plenty of bugs in ALL video games, I am finding that most of, if not ALL of the anger, cheating, and bad vibes are coming from the community itself. Take a look in the mirror, maybe you are the problem.
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