In the heat of all the NCAA allegations against big-ticket colleges this summer, I’ve realized what’s missing in the gaming counterparts of these real life sports dramas. It’s what goes on outside the gridiron that’s truly fascinating. If NCAA Football 2013 wants to break into the big money Mass Effect market, it’s going to take some tough decision-making, and not just on the part of the developers.
In this hypothetically simulated game, NCAA Football 2013‘s Dynasty mode would have you create your own coach and pick the school at which you’ll begin your reign of evil. Once organized, you’d create custom schedules and pick players to recruit. Then, EA Sports would blow everyone’s mind by bringing us so close to the game that we could almost feel the allegation’s weighing down on our shoulders.
Recruiting a player would require the pre-existing conversation mini-game but wouldn’t end there. Here, the player would be tested by various ethical decisions when attempting to make an irresistible offer to a naïve eighteen-year-old high school recruit. Say a top football program in the country wants the same quarterback that you’re after and the player could just as easily leave you as stay. Maybe he wants a brand new Nissan or just a cool one hundred thousand dollar check in his parent’s bank account? Paying these players and offering illegal benefits to them would give your program a powerful, dangerous edge.
Oh, but watch out. With every payment you’d make, the higher the newly created “College Reputation” would decrease, eventually leading to public awareness of the illegal operation that you, again hypothetically, masterminded. The more money or higher priced items given out, the more your reputation would plummet. In turn, this could affect what types of recruits would want to join your program. By adding the fickle nature of public opinion into the recruiting process, gamers would be put inside the actual thoughts of college coaches everywhere and gamble their school’s and their own reputations for a couple of blue chippers. Recruiting will now not only deal with strategy when talking to players but would also have the players face moral decisions.
Of course, gamers would also have to deal with laborious press conferences if caught. Do you take the blame or declare ignorance? Do you leave before the heat finally catches up with the school or try to gut it out? How about dealing out suspensions, especially if a big bowl game is coming up? Can you step up to the challenge and face the media? Add in the ability to choose not to shake hands with the opposite coach, seduce loyal fans into a drunken frenzy at a pep rally the night before a game, and even slander other team’s coaches and players and we’re talking about a true football simulation.
I know that NCAA Football 2012 thrives on realism: the majestic entrances for each school, the fight songs, and the impressive animations. The developers just need to take that one step back and enter the chaos that is college football nowadays if it’s to become a true sports simulation. Would you lead a program that’s pure, prospering, and powerful or a raucous, illegal, team of thugs only out for their own fame? It’s your turn in the hot seat – just don’t be afraid to get burned.
Iv’e been wanting this since the PS2 version came out. This will never happen, as the NCAA won’t allow EA to put it into the game. On that note though, do you actually think EA would have the balls to do i? PRolly not.