New blog from the folks at EA Sports Road to Glory Mode Overviewis a game about developing players from high school through college, and while many of the details that would be included in the game were already known or expected, such as contracts from rookie to starter, NIL contracts, etc., there were some wild elements that I didn’t expect.
On top of the obvious importance of managing your health, grades, and relationships with your coaches, there’s a whole system of “dilemmas” to navigate, including the decision of whether to channel your inner Kevin Durant and create a throwaway account to protect yourself from online criticism.
“You might have a situation where you’re not playing well and the fans are just letting it go. You have to decide how to respond. Do you take the noble route? Do you criticize them? Or do you make a big fuss and be the biggest fan?”
There seems to be a three-tiered system of responses, each with its own pros and cons: of course, if you ignore it, you won’t be criticized, but if you suppress your emotions, it can have other consequences, and if you let it get to the point where you start a fire, you might get found out and your reputation might suffer as a result.
We’ve seen plenty of attempts at social media integration in sports games over the years, traditionally limited to trade news and broad character mentions, but this game takes it to a whole other level.
Another dilemma EA discussed in its blog was balancing a player’s image with their academics.
“Some dilemmas, such as being asked to attend off-campus parties, create real conflicts. Attending parties can increase your social presence and brand, but it can also mean having to miss evening classes. This decision is risky; being caught missing class can negatively impact your GPA and potentially affect your academic standing and eligibility.”
this is just It’s the kind of thing people want to see from a game, and assuming there are enough random encounters and each person’s playthrough is different, it can lead to some pretty amazing screenshots and moments.
We’ll know more information when the game releases next week.
