A lot has happened since my last entry, most importantly the Presidential election for the United States.
In trying to make sense of what happened with the election I thought about gaming (of course…). Hillary Clinton is NBA 2K, the monolith, the old guard, a great game but a stale one at times with seemingly no real competition. Donald Trump is NBA Live (’16). He represents the outsider, even if in reality he is the big business (EA) and some of the worst elements of gaming culture personified. Personally, I always bought NBA Live at every opportunity. I have enjoyed it but more importantly I wanted competition for 2K. Even if NBA Live never ascended to the heights of NBA 2K, by having a real competitor all of the basketball offerings improve. Hopefully this works out on the political spectrum as well.
This analogy falls apart in the sense that NBA Live didn’t make a game for 16-17, which is a tragedy because the last years game was great. In the USA, NBA Live (Trump) won.
NBA 2K got beat by the outsider. Not unlike when NFL 2K beat Madden in 2005. These analogies help me to understand the appeal of somebody who, in my eyes, isn’t fit for the presidency. While NBA Live was not quite ready for prime time, it was still really exciting seeing it’s different approach to the game. All of that said, maybe in 4 years we will look back and be like “Trump wasn’t a terrible experiment” or maybe the old guard comes back strong and retakes the throne.
In summary, people’s pain about the election outcomes are valid. People who are excited should feel validated in that excitement as well. With both of those statements made, I hope that our government and political landscape turn out for the better at the end of all this. Like seeing a black president in office giving people hope, it has been fascinating to ruminate about a Kanye West being president or The Rock. Who knows. Frankly, I just wish NBA Live 17 was happening…
J3Blackgamer 