With technology advancing at such a fast pace, it eventually had to make its way to the gaming world and specifically into the sports gaming world. For years, gamers have complained about the gameplay when it comes to sports games. There are so many stereotypes and washed down statements in the sports gaming community that developers hate. They say things like “the game is unrealistic” or they say something like “this doesn’t happen in real life”. For the company 2K, their main sports game that they focus on is NBA 2K which is the #1 basketball game. For the company EA, their main sports games that they focus on is Madden NFL and FIFA which are the #1 football and soccer games. For years, we’ve heard many rebuttals to the complaints from the gamers. The opposers say things like “there’s only so much you can do to change a game each year” or “it’s difficult to release a completely different game when they already have their base.” While I understand both sides, I plan to side with the gamers. I believe that they should find a way to make changes within the game that would allow the gamers to adapt to the changes that they’re making. Good news for gamers this year, that is exactly what these companies plan to do.
As a gamer myself, I understand the challenges that come with improving these sports games. However, EA has decided to incorporate a game altering feature that completely changed the way you play FIFA 22 in contrast to the newer game, FIFA 23. This feature is called Hypermotion2 Technology. The feature has advanced the gameplay technology by twice as much, due to the new data capture capabilities. FIFA brought over 6000 authentic animations taken from millions of frames of advanced match capture to the game. If this isn’t what needs to be done to make the game more “realistic”, I’m not sure what more they can do. Another feature that FIFA has added is its own version of machine learning. They wrote new animations in real time to create a natural football motion across a variety of interactions. One of my favorite features has got to be the technical dribbling. The technical dribbling system is also informed by machine learning. It gives the most natural motion with the ball at your feet that a FIFA game has ever seen. It allows you to control the pace of the game while keeping the ball close or even further by turning away the ball from opponents. The fluidity has been better than ever before. They’ve even gone on to make the acceleration a lot better for players. FIFA added an additional layer of personality to how players reach their top speed in the game. It made it a lot more controlled or lengthy changes of pace, and now players reaching their full speed at different rates contributes more to variety in player movement in FIFA. The advancements that FIFA has made will only continue to improve the ratings and will also encourage a new group of gamers to want to play the game.
As for 2K, they have to focus more on the basketball side with their hit game NBA 2K. This game has gone through the most scrutiny that I’ve ever seen from a video game in my life. From my point of view, it seems a little difficult to replicate a sport like basketball into a video game because of so many different ways that you can score. I see the frustration from both sides but the improvements that 2K has had in 2k23 have been game changing. I’ll start with my favorite. It definitely has to be the adrenaline boosts that they’ve added. The adrenaline boosts prevent a player from overdribbling, this making the player slower as time goes on. This is a very realistic feature as this is exactly how it works in the NBA. Another talked about point in 2K that has needed some improvement is its shooting woes. There has been outspoken frustration about the lack of consistency that comes along with shooting in the game. They have fixed this issue for the most part and it comes with some nice upgrades. In NBA 2K22, success from the outside was heavily weighted toward coverage. If you could get an open look, you could balance out poor ratings and inaccurate timing. This year, they wanted a more authentic shooting model that captures the essence of a great NBA shooter’s capabilities. The first major change is the addition of shooting attributes. Since the beginning of signature jump shots in 2K basketball, animations have been more or less aesthetic but functionally the same. This year, each signature jump shot has unique shooting stats that help determine its effectiveness. It starts with shot speed which essentially shows how quickly the shot gets to its ideal release point. Next, you have release height which is how high the jumpshot tends to be released. Then, you have defensive immunity which shows how effective the shot is against defensive contests. Lastly, you have timing impact which adjusts the shot windows to reward good timing at the cost of an increased penalty for bad timing. They have also added a huge number of shot animations to choose from, which is over double the amount of any previous 2K and they are a lot more accurate to players’ real life jumpshot which is pretty cool in my opinion.
While it’s difficult to adjust these games on a year to year basis, I believe that the technologies that these companies are adding are game changing. We take a lot of these features for granted because we just want to turn on the gaming console and play something that we enjoy. However, the amount of research that these developers use on a daily basis to improve the game should not be overlooked. I look to the future to see what other features could be added to make a lot of these sports games more and more realistic.
I will say I am not that interested in gaming, which is so interesting that AI has one of the greatest strongholds in the industry. I really like how you wrote this piece though because it was easier for me to comprehend. It is incredibly impressive how realistic gaming visuals have gotten from my pov.
The work fifa has done has been impressive. The game does feel a lot different and as there are new soccer games coming out to rival FIFA they will have their work cut out for them to maintain their audience. The addition of ML to further develop these moves is a great idea. 2K is another beast that needs a lot of love, but I agree with you, they have taken some steps to improve it but as you mentioned, basketball is a complex game that will always be hard to model in a game.
This is such an interesting post! I love how AI has actually transformer videos games in a way where it comes to life. AI providing almost 1:1 accurate player looks is insane to me, as every game evolves (such as EA games coming out every year) AI tends to improve these games.
As someone that has been casually gaming for years, seeing the progression of games since 2010 already impresses me about the evolution of game development. I think that the Hypermotion technology in FIFA really solves the problem of some player’s moves being unrealistic. It really caters to gamers that enjoy the realism of the video gameplay. Same with the updates to NBA 2K and the dribbling capabilities and shot mechanics. I still remember the days of NBA 2K12 where any movement toward the basket would trigger the most insane dunking mechanics on players that have no business being that athletic compared to their actual gameplay. (For example, Kevin Love throwing down windmill dunks from the free-throw line).
I am not involved in the gaming world, but I think it is really interesting to see how the graphics, usability, and realisticness of the gaming industry have progressed over the past decade. With so much progress and continuous improvements, it is neat to think about the future of the industry and where gaming will be in ten years. I assume that VR headsets will become more and more popular and people will begin learning new skills via gaming technology. Over time, this might translate to jobs and other daily tasks occurring in a VR environment such as the metaverse. Great post!!
Both of my favorite sports games are 2k and FIFA so I was super intrigued by this article. The evolution of sports is crazy when you look at things like graphics, and mechanics. If AI was implemented there would be a world of new opportunities to add to the game. Simple tasks will be automated which allows the developers to put their time into new avenues of the game.
I really enjoyed reading this post because of the perspective you gave as an avid sports gamer. I think it is really cool they ability sports games have to consistently be improving their technology and the game experience. I think this will be industry that will continue to see immense change over the next couple years.
This post was fun to read as I have played all of these games. In my opinion, I hate NBA2K the most. The shooting in the game was horrendous. I do like that they added adrenaline rushes as well as players getting tired. The last time I played FIFA was probably FIFA 18 but reading this post definitely makes me intrigued in watching gameplay of the newer game.
Hi Val! The popularity of these sports games is unbelievable. Anything that has that much of the public’s attention will constantly be up against harsh criticism, and I like how you acknowledge the amount of work that developers do to make these games. I can imagine that these companies make an unbelievable amount of money and that they have the resources to make the changes needed to have their games be more realistic. Last point, did you intend for the pun in your last paragraph when you said that the added technologies are “game changing”? I had to ask. Good work!
Loved this post, EA has rightfully been under scrutiny for a while now as most of their games are the exact same as the previous years version, just with a roster update. Its one of the main reasons I no longer buy and play those games. I can’t justify spending another $70 just to play the same game, but hopefully with the new technology it’ll get better and maybe I’ll reconsider.
Hi Val, I really enjoyed reading this piece on AI in sports gaming. I have been a casual sports gamer and have definitely noticed the improvements that you mentioned over the years. With such a rapid increase in advancements, I wonder when augmented and virtual reality will come into play in this space.
I found this post interesting as a person who has played both of these games. I did notice the hypermotion 2 implementation into FIFA while playing, and I did find it cool to see the stats after scoring a goal. However I do feel like there needs to be significant performance updates in many sports games to substantially differentiate them from previous versions.
I have never played sports games but I do appreciate the fact that game developers can put out a new version of the same game every year and still keep the market coming back year after year for virtually the same product with new players. I think now with more advanced technology these games like you said, can create better products and more realistic environments for their players. I am interested to see where this goes, along with other games like COD and battlefield or games like that. Interesting post!
Hi Vale, I found your blog very interesting! I think it is amazing how sports games have evolved over the years. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a post on Instagram that showed Kobe Bryant at the free throw line illustrating the progression of NBA 2k graphics each of the 20 years he was in the NBA. Until around 2004, you couldn’t tell it was Kobe because of the lack of progression in the graphics. Fast forward to his last year in the NBA, it was a very close resemblance to how he looked like on the court, with details of sweat and tattoos. It will be very interesting to see how much AI is able to help with graphics and gameplay!
Hi Val! This was a great post! I liked how you mentioned how it’s hard for there to be a different version of the game every year, but I think it’s important for there to be some variety because usually people who play a game consistently once it’s released figure out everything about it, so they look forward to a different version. I’m excited to see how much AI and technology in general will transform the gaming world, especially with all the existing games that they already have to work with. Great job!
Hi Val, this was such an interesting post this week! I don’t know too much about sports gaming and this blog really taught me a lot. With so many people playing these games and modifications to the game are essential to keep games fun and fresh. I’m wondering how these games will evolve and change with growing technology to make these games more realistic for its users.
Hay Val love this post as a fan of sports games. Its an interesting topic because it is difficult to improve the games when youre releasing a new one every year and it could be interesting to see how new technologies could potentially provide a fresh way to make these games.
Nice post. I do think these games can continue to make use of the data through things like Amazon Next Gen Stats (a student of mine did an in-depth presentation on that partnership a few years back), to make the games even more realistic. It would be really cool if the game could update stats based on week-to-week statistics (and injuries).
Hey Val! I love this post because I am someone who loves sports in all shapes and sizes. Furthermore I am a die hard fan for a lot of EA and 2k sports games. Although, one thing I have seen is that I can’t really tell changes or differences in between gameplay from year to year sometimes. I wonder if it will become even more difficult to see these differences and if there is a maximum threshold for the influence that technology can have on these games.
Hey Val! I loved reading this post, 2k is my all time favorite video game and I agree with every aspect you discussed. The 2k community has been wanting so many things changed in the game and I am hoping with time and new AI technology that things will change for the better. Thanks for sharing!