Alright, so I fired up NBA 2K22 the other day, you know, just wanted to chill and play a few games. I’ve been on a bit of a Bucks kick recently, maybe ’cause of Giannis, or maybe I just like their court, who knows. Anyway, I found myself playing a bunch of games as Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum.
And you know how it is when you play a game a lot, you start noticing the little things. This time, it was the courtside advertising boards, those digital things they call dornas. I just got curious, man. How accurate are these things for the Bucks in 2K22? It sounds a bit daft, I know, spending time on that, but hey, that’s me.
So, I actually started my little “investigation.” I’d play a quarter, then during a timeout or a free throw, I’d try to get a good look. I even went into the replay mode a few times, pausing it and zooming in on those dornas. Yeah, I was that guy for an afternoon. My wife walked in and asked what on earth I was doing, just staring at frozen virtual ads.
To really check it out, I even pulled up some old YouTube clips of actual Bucks games from the 2021-2022 season. I had my tablet next to me, comparing what was on the screen in 2K22 to the real-life footage. It’s a bit like being a detective, but for really, really unimportant stuff. Felt kinda silly but I was committed by then.
So what did I find out from my detailed examination of the Bucks’ dornas? Well, it was a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest with you.
- Some of them seemed pretty good! Like, I spotted a few local Wisconsin companies, some healthcare provider ads that you’d expect to see. That stuff made it feel more authentic, you know? Gave me a little nod of approval.
- But then, there were others that felt a bit… off. Like, some were super generic ads that you could see in any arena for any team. Or I saw one or two that I was pretty sure were for sponsors that weren’t with the Bucks anymore by that specific season. It’s like they used slightly older assets or something.
- The rotation sometimes felt a bit janky too. Like you’d see the same ad pop up way too often, or they’d switch too fast. Minor stuff, but it’s the kind of thing that can just slightly break the immersion when you’re really into a game.
I get that getting all this stuff 100% right for every team, every year, must be a massive pain. Licensing, details, it all adds up. And most people probably don’t even notice or care as much as I did that afternoon. They’re there to play basketball, not inspect the ad hoardings.
But for me, sometimes these little details are what makes these sports games really sing. When they nail it, it just adds that extra layer. When it’s a bit off, well, it’s not game-breaking, but you notice.
So yeah, that was my little deep dive into the NBA 2K22 Bucks dornas. Spent a good couple of hours just peering at digital ads. Probably should have just played another game, but hey, curiosity got the better of me. The takeaway? They did an okay job, some bits good, some bits could have been tighter. Just my two cents from my little project. Now, I think I’ll actually go play the game properly.
