Mainstream Media Indicts NBA 2K's Casino-Like Atmosphere
By Brian Allen
NBA 2K25's gameplay deep dive couldn't have come at a better time. With radio silence from 2K Sports about a game that drops in a few weeks, the conversation about NBA 2K was being dominated by a hard-hitting New York Times expose. Is there any other kind?
In a piece entitled When Sports Games Feel Like Casinos, Players Rarely Win, The Times digs deep into the culture perpetuated by 2K's microtransactions.
"The video game NBA 2K24 lets fans play as their favorite basketball stars. It's $70 but there is pressure to spend more,'" the article states.
The chance to spend money permeates every mode of NBA 2K, from the card-collecting My Team mode to the My Player career options. In a moment born to be memed, insurance spokesperson Jake from State Farm is an actual NPC in NBA 2K22. Even NASCAR would be embarrassed by this level of shilling. Ok, probably not, but you get the point.
Yes, we all know games exist to make money. Take-Two Interactive, the company that brings us 2K and the equally money printing Grand Theft Auto franchise, made about $4.2 billion last fiscal year. Is enough ever going to be enough where these microtransactions are concerned?
NBA 2K's My Team mode especially deploys tactics you would see at your local casino. Packs don't open as much as they explode in a cascade of sparks and lights. New players griddy their way onto the screen. It's a huge dopamine hit, and that is 100 percent by design. My Team's setup includes spinning prize wheels and pachinko machines. It's P.T. Barnum-level misdirection, and it's working to the tune of billions in profit.
Even some content creators who make their living as part of this grisly economy are speaking out. A Washington Post piece published in May 2023 interviewed YouTuber Dimitri Jones. He achieved his dream of working with 2K as part of the NextMakers initiative, a training program for 2K content creators. In spite of that, NBA 2K23 became a tipping point for him. He said if things continued on this path, he could see himself walking away from the game for good.
The Post also spoke to Mick Curley, better known to his more than 300,000 subscribers as "DBG." After winning NBA 2K tournaments in his native Ireland, he embarked on a journey as a content creator. He has created countless hours of content revealing the best cards, grinding strategies, and budget options for My Team. But lately, some of his most well-received videos have chronicled what he believes is the gradual decline of NBA 2K. He told the Post's Herb Scribner he is not sure he'll ever boot the game up again for any reason other than making content. On his DBG MyTeam channel, he announced he is quitting the game mode until at least the new game's release.
DBG described trying to make a video and realizing he couldn't get the cards he would need without buying packs for real money. He and other content creators enjoy doing "No Money Spent" content, but 2K's casino-like environment is making it impossible. If players whose literal job it is to play NBA 2K can't get the latest cards without gambling, what chance does any casual player stand of doing so?