From simple to complex graphics: a look at basketball-related online games

In the UK, basketball often takes a back seat to football, both in real life and in digital life. Football is the top sport in the UK since it attracts most visitors to its stadiums, achieves a large target audience on television and has a huge consumer base for online games like FIFA. That doesn’t mean, however, that online basketball games are to be forgotten about.

In fact, when comparing the UK’s sporting interests to that of America, you’ll find that while American football still steals the top spot, basketball proves to be a lot more popular when compared to the UK. That being said, since America is a game giant, much like Japan, a range of basketball games are played across the world. We’ll take a look at two of these games and evaluate how their concept and design differs to provide a unique experience for the user.

NBA Live

 

Created by California game giants, EA sports, this is perhaps one of the most advanced basketball games available on the market. The NBA attracts thousands of fans, with some of their efforts focused on basketball betting at William Hill and similar sites. These providers offer their customers the opportunity to bet on basketball competitions like the NBA with odds updated in real-time.

Given the popularity of this option and the chance it gives us to feel directly involved in the sport, it’s no surprise fans would turn to an online basketball game too. Taking its place in the top five watched sports in America, it doesn’t come as much of a shock that this game offers true NBA fans an online gaming experience that replicates the real thing.

First and foremost, in the aim of being as realistic as possible, this game captures the identity of renowned basketball players so the user can actually play as if the game was a true event. Since NBA fans take pride in their players, this feature is nothing short of capturing the audience’s needs.

Equally, the designers of this game have thoughtfully curated different basketball locations across the world which not only allows an element of adventure, but an element of home too – especially when the user can play a game in a location that is familiar to them. The game is accessible too and with an array of functional buttons, allows the player to enjoy their gaming experience, even on the go on their mobile phone.

Basketball FRVR

 

In stark contrast to NBA Live, you can clearly see the difference in design and target audience for this online game. Where NBA Live is for the hardcore fans that know their basketball players and has intricately been designed to replicate a basketball competition, this game is for the amateurs.

Basketball FRVR is created as a simple form of entertainment whereby the player can shoot their basketball into the hoop with the glide of their finger across a mobile phone screen. Though, by all means, a fun game, it doesn’t quite live up to the graphics of NBA Live. This gets as complex as a round orange ball using motion graphics to meet the net – a little different to a lifelike digital creation of a real-life basketball player.

All in all, the basketball gaming market, though might be sparse in comparison to its football counterpart, still produces an offering for a variety of audiences. This can easily be detected via the use of simple graphics vs complex graphics. As we have identified, simple graphics in the gaming world makes for a beginner who requires an easy form of entertainment, whereas complex graphics captures the identity, visuals and motion of a real-life basketball event. That doesn’t mean that you can’t play an advanced game if you’re a beginner, though – since the graphics are so well thought out, the game can easily be learnt.