Playing video games is not something I do often. Instead, I'm one of those girls who will spend a weekend afternoon watching my brother or my guy friends freak out over the score of an Xbox basketball game. I'll admit it, it's fun to watch.
Graphics nowadays are so impressive. I feel like I am actually watching a real game. I remember when Diddy Kong Racing"" on N64 was cool. Even though that is still my favorite game in the world, these new games have many qualities that I find desirable. Plus, it's always fun watching people get worked up over the most random things.
I did not understand why video games caused people so much stress, so I found myself asking questions. After all, ""Diddy"" never left me in a bad mood, but I realize those characters are unrealistic. I highly doubt any of you have seen a turtle or a monkey driving a car through a deserted city, either.
What made these new games more intense than ""Diddy""? So what if you lose a basketball game on Xbox? Is it really necessary to throw your controller on the ground? Why stay inside on a nice day and play a basketball video game when you can play a real one and actually be somewhat social?
From time to time, the boys will challenge me to a game, as if they are trying to prove they have great button pushing skills. They think if they can beat me in a simple game, I will somehow understand why video games are so exciting. But it wasn't until this weekend that I realized why Xbox games can be complicated and engaging, while having more realistic qualities than just graphics.
My boyfriend was playing a video game titled ""NCAA March Madness '06."" His ""character"" was Bo Ryan and he just accepted the offer to coach the North Carolina Tar Heels. One of his first tasks as a coach was to recruit players from different parts of the country and figure out what his non-conference schedule was going to look like. He had spots on the team to fill after some players graduated and others decided to play in the NBA. Plus, he got to customize the first part of his schedule. How his team would do in these games would ultimately affect how his players felt when they started conference play.
Besides some players having really random names, the recruiting process seemed somewhat realistic. As my boyfriend explained to me, a girl like me would love recruiting because ""it would be like shopping for players.""
First, he had to pick the state he wanted to start recruiting from, followed by the position of the player he needed. Next, he was allotted a certain number of points, and for each attempt he took at contacting the animated player, a few points were taken off his total. Visiting the players would cost more than simply calling them. Imaginary assistant coaches could also visit or call the players in order to get the player interested in playing for the team.
After that, he had to decide on a ""pitching strategy."" He could try to sell his team's legacy, his coaching legacy, either the team or coaching strategy, playing time, scholarship amount or location to the player being recruited. Believe it or not, that seems pretty realistic to me.
Once the recruitment report was completed, ""Coach Ryan"" would have to assess the information about the player. Besides being graded on offense and defense, they were also ranked according to potential and discipline. Usually, if the player received high grades, he had low discipline skills, which was the back-story of his fictional existence. The coach is supposed to understand that these players were the stars of their high schools and are rough around the edges.
Great ball players with great discipline and teamwork potential are rare in the video game, as they are in reality. If you pick a player without discipline, he will get into trouble and have to sit out of games. For example, a player might randomly get caught cheating on a test in the middle of the season, causing you to suspend him before the fictional NCAA members penalize the team by taking away future scholarships.
Other teams could be trying to recruit the same players, making the situation rather difficult. In real life, colleges are constantly fighting over players. Getting a six-star or five-star player to sign on with your team is an exciting time for coaches, and apparently it is in the video game world as well.
While video games may seem unrealistic, I can now see how they may mean more to some people. Maybe playing video games isn't a waste of time. Maybe this simulation of reality can give people a taste of what coaching is actually like.
If any of you would like to spend an afternoon playing old-school games like ""Diddy,"" e-mail Crystal at crowns@wisc.edu. She is getting sick of racing the Tee-tee clock.
