NBA 2K12 is a basketball simulation game. One of the modes allows you to play as one team over consecutive seasons, starting with the 2012 season. Each progressive season, the game will randomly generate new players to get drafted. Much of the joy in the mode is taken from being able to create your own stories as you take your team and its players through the ups and downs of competitive sports. When I play, I imagine what sort of newspaper headlines I might see or what players people would be talking about on social media. As an extension of this, I thought about what trading cards might look like for the many randomly generated players that now populate my game. Then I decided to make them.
Using the in-game instant replay feature I was able to capture dynamic screenshots akin to the photographs on real cards. The front and back design of cards can range wildly in complexity. Drawing inspiration from cards I own, I opted for designs that are simple yet still have a professional feel. The cards were created by printing them onto glossy sticker paper and sticking them to thick cardstock.
My created card contrasted with a professional card.
A short video to demonstrate the final look of the cards.
Below are the front and back of all 18 cards I designed:
