The Over-Analytical

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The Magic of FIFA is dead, but how did this happen?

FIFA 2000, my first memory of a video game, although I wasn’t born until ’99 I vividly remember having this on PS1

FIFA has always been one of those things that’s been in my life. For as long as I can remember I’ve been smashing the circle button on PlayStation. I remember a time where the joysticks used to come off and you’d have to play with just the metal sticks that poked up when the soft cushioning failed you. That was true pain.

But you know what they say, no pain, no gain.

In many ways I think this phrase could have been the main reason leading to me falling out of love with this game now that we’re onto FIFA 20.

Image result for fifa 20 neymar — Neymar: Aguably the catalyst for my decreasing interest in the game.

I’ve played FIFA’s Ultimate Team (or FUT) Mode for years now, each year desperate to get all of my favourite and the best players. It’s often seemed impossible to get some of them, with the likes of Ronaldo and Messi consistently costing over 1,000,000 virtual coins.

This is what made the game interesting. It was difficult to get good players, and through different game modes within FUT, you were rewarded for creativity, using silver and bronze players in special tournaments.

Now, using silver and bronze players seems to be genuinely pointless, with no reward for being creative in your squads.

EVERYONE HAS THE SAME TEAM

This is one of the biggest issues. As there is no benefit to using worse players, you can predict the opposing team’s lineup before a game at about a 70% success rate, from a pool of about 30 different players. It’s boring. You play the same team almost every game, or some slight variation of this.

Everyone has good players, because if you put any amount of time into the game, completing the squad building challenges and competing weekly in the “weekend league”, you get very good rewards. Add all of this to those that have spent obscene amounts of money on packs, you get the mess that we have now with FIFA 20.

My Team. It’s ridiculous, never on any other FIFA have I team that looked anything as good as this.

As can be seen above, I’m not just complaining because everyone else has good players and I don’t. Because quite frankly my team is ridiculous. This is the same problem that I’ve always historically had with NBA 2k’s MyTeam feature: everyone’s teams are too good.

The gameplay is just not inspiring anymore, skills aren’t as effective and the only tactic that works is pace. Something that has historically been an issue with players such as Gabby Agbonlahor dominating in previous games despite being 75 overall. But would I prefer the old games now? Probably not.

This year, within a month of the game being released on consoles and being ecstatic when it did, I was “lucky” enough to get a Neymar Jr card in a pack. Surely this is a dream, a 92 rated player, arguably the best to play with on the game, going for over 1 million coins at the time? This has somehow ruined the game for me. It’s like being born into money (or so I imagine), I have no drive to hustle on the game and get better, to get better cards, because I was handed it all on the 2nd week. Since then I’ve had players like Hazard among many others in packs, the majority of which have come from doing squad building challenges.

I guess it’s a nice problem to have, having too many coins, pretty much being able to buy anyone you want. But even still, when you’re coming up against the same teams over and over again, it gets boring no matter who is on your team.

Either way, it’s clear from these ramblings that I’m not particularly happy with the game, but there’s nothing I can do to change that. I’ll just go back to playing my NBA2k Player Career (I’m on the Pelicans and just managed to put a career high 47 past James Harden and the Rockets, now that’s fun)

How Covid-19 has caused an outbreak in an anti-Asian racist agenda:

The title of this article is slightly misleading, but intentionally so. As much as there has been a rise in media of racist slander towards the Asian community. Whether that’s including pictures of random, mostly healthy, Asian people, or outrightly blaming China and using quotes such as “the Chinese coronavirus”; there’s clearly an issue.

What’s “impressive” as Soledad puts it, is the audacity that the media, and the population in general, have managed to go about this racism with.

And let’s get this point clear, it’s racism. If you disagree, then you’re part of the problem.

The confidence with which these people write columns with blatant finger pointing and the Asian community, is worrying. It’s no coincidence that this comes in a political climate with Donald Trump and Boris Johnson leading two of the two major western countries.

As someone who is of mixed Asian/British background, I’m used to the jokes/comments/hate that come along with being “yellow”. Racism is not something that I’ve been sheltered from and not something I’ve shied away from.

It’s been a part of my life, a part of the Asian community’s life since white people “discovered” us.

It’s nice to see people talking about this more, allies on social media calling out the bullshit that people pull. But it still feels that it’s not being taken that seriously.

I could write about this for a long time, but it’s just clear that, as I have for a long time, Asian people have been conditioned into sitting back, making a joke of racism and kind of just ignoring it. It kind of feels insignificant. You’re almost not allowed to get that offended by racism towards your own people.

In a way, it feels like making a joke of the media is a bit of a power play. Realising it’s naivety and ignorance and just being able to laugh at it. It’s evident though that there are just systemic issues that need to be addressed, education that needs to be made. I’m not here to do that, because this would soon turn into a dissertation but I just want to point it out.

I’ll end this with a story my colleague told me yesterday about a comedy show he attended at the weekend. My colleague is Vietnamese/Australian. He was watching a Malaysian comedian, had a good time, good show. When he was leaving the venue he got a tap on the back, a guy who wanted to shake his hand. Why? He said “great set man”. My friend has short hair, the comedian had long hair. My friend is Vietnamese, the comedian is Malaysian.

Looking back on it, my friend couldn’t help but laugh at it. But that’s it. Not all Asian people look the same, and are certainly not the same people. Come on people.

20-20-10 vision- a monstrous performance from OKC’s rising star

Last night was a historical night in the association. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the youngest player to record a 20 point, 20 rebound triple double (beating Shaquille O’neal).

I cannot emphasise how impressive this is. The only other players to do this in the last 20 years are Demarcus Cousins with 3, David Lee, KG and of course, Russ.

20 rebounds. For a guard. It’s astounding.

It’s also his first career triple double. A great one to start with it has to be said.

Shai is looking like the complete package this year under his new-found mentor CP3. Averaging 19.9/5.7/2.8 on the OKC Thunder and putting up historical nights like last night. You can’t help but be excited for the future of this player.

There’s no doubt in my mind he’d be up for MIP if he weren’t only a second year player.

O Canada!

Only the second Canadian to post a triple double in the NBA. The other, Steve Nash.

It looks like Canada can forget about Wiggins, Murray and RJ Barrett. Maybe forget is a bit strong, but there seems to be a new wave of athletic, skilful guards coming from the Great North, something that they have to be excited about going into the Olympics this year.

Even Tristan Thompson could be a good player for them going into the summer, assuming he doesn’t continue to get dunked on by 19 year olds- shout out to Seykou Doumbouya.

Clipped

Even though the Clippers acquired Paul George and are now leading favourites to win the Chip by many, it’s clear that the OKC have acquired some serious talent and they certainly have not lost out.

It was evident since Paul George joined the Thunder that it wasn’t going to work with Russ for me. Russ didn’t fit Donovan’s system, he was too ball dominant and the offence was sticky. Now, with a new group of players, all playing within their roles, Donovan has been able to flex his proverbial managerial muscle. It’s impressive to see.

The question on a lot of minds right now: Do the Thunder choose to become buyers before the deadline and push with what they’ve got, or sell it all and start fresh with a young core? I really hope they choose the former. I certainly would not like to come across them in the first round of the playoffs right now…

Don’t take LeBron James for granted.

On the 11th of January, at 5:04am (GMT), Kevin O’connor tweeted some words of wisdom.

Don’t take LeBron James for granted.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 11, 2020

O’Connor, a senior NBA analyst at the Ringer, said what everyone should be thinking. LeBron James is 36 years old, and although Father Time looks like he’s still yet to even smell the Kid from Akron, his time on the court is limited.

James has been in the league since 2003, 10 years before it captivated my interest- after I started playing basketball regrettably late at the age of 14 (2013). From then on, he’s been a dominant force- wait no- the dominant force. It’s incredible. But one day the articles will flood in, as it will be the day that LeBron James has retired from the league.

I imagine that on this day, the whole world will stop. Obviously, that won’t strictly be true, but I’d love for a post apocalyptic scene where the stock markets close, the streets are deserted and everyone wears black. It’s hard to imagine the league without the King.

Definition of a floor general. Picture: LA Times

Every book, every website, any reference to basketball will have a picture of LeBron James or a reference to his name somewhere at the forefront. One day, it will be a piece of history, now, we are lucky enough to witness it every day.

A brief look at the stats

According to Basketball Reference, Bron is posting 25.4/8/10.7 through 37 games in the first half of the season.

Again. He is 36 years old.

For his career, King James has posted 27.1/7.4/7.3 as of 12/01/2020. The other day, he passed MJ on the all time FG made list to get to the number 4 spot. The numbers speak for themselves. But everyone knows all of this, it’s been written a thousand times before.

Instead, let’s make some predictions about the twilight of LeBron’s career:

LeBron finishes number 1 in career total points- he currently has 33,482 in 4th place behind Kobe, Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul Jabbar who tops the list with 38,387.
LeBron ends his career with 5 championships, one less than Jordan, causing the debate to live on forever- the last coming as a role player on a team led by his son, LeBron James Jr.- on the knicks (lol).
James hangs up his jersey for the last time at the age of 41 at the end of the 2025 NBA season, having completed his farewell tour in his 22nd year in the league.
The king has his jersey retired at 3 different organisations.
Luka Doncic wins three MVPs before LeBron retires.
LeBron dunks so hard that it causes Rob Pelinka to soil his pants.

Some of these takes are a bit outlandish, but hey we’re just speculating.

This is the first LeBron James article on this blog, but it certainly won’t be the last. I’m going to stop this one there before it gets ridiculous. But just remember,

Don’t take LeBron James for granted.

An Introduction to The Over-Analytical

It’s me, thinking about some of the crap I like.

As I write this, I am sat waiting for the spaghetti to boil that I will eventually partner with the remaining ragu that is left from last night’s dinner. It’s in this moment I was inspired to start writing. I deliberated over a name and got on with it, because too many times in the past I’ve let negative thoughts prevent me from doing so.

I’ve always wanted to write about what I’m interested in, I’d even assembled draft articles, only for them never to be published. I was never confident enough to say “Fuck It” and just do it. But now I’m 20 years old and I don’t live at home so I can swear all I want.

I always thought to myself, why start a blog?

“Aren’t you just going to write two posts at most and then never touch it, only to try and delete it 2 years later and not be able to remember the password?”

Well yes, maybe I will, but equally maybe I won’t. Maybe this will be the best thing I do, who knows, I guess we’ll have to see.

Image result for Lebron block — Blocking out the negativity c/o NBA.com and LeBron James

So yeah, this blog is pretty much just going to be a summary of my thoughts on anything I find interesting enough to sit down and write something about it. It’s not to be taken too seriously, but then neither am I.

Now that I’ve written this, deliberating on every word and spending most of the time just deciding the name, my pasta has been boiling for what I estimate to be around 30 minutes. It’s a mushy lump of no-good nothing. I think this sums up what this blog is going to be pretty well.