Josh Boone wants to play games - and create them and design them.
So this summer Boone will take the first step to what he hopes could be his second career - a video-game designer - when he and a couple of other NBA players, including Portland's Ike Diogu, visit EA Sports, one of the leaders in sports video games, at the company's California headquarters. "It's a week-long thing," said Boone, who said a contact from the Nets has been in touch with the video-game giant (it's the firm that does NBA Live and Madden NFL) to set up the visit in Redwood, Calif., sometime after the NBA playoffs end.
"They were flying Ike and maybe one other person to EA to experience what it's like to be out there and create a video game, see the designing process, things like that," the former UConn center said.
When Boone heard, he jumped at the chance and was approved to accompany Diogu, who is keenly interested in the design and production aspect of video gaming. Hey, Boone has invested hours on PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360. And it is something he seriously has considered as a second career. He admits he has no real background in the design and programming aspects of video gaming. Not a bad time to start, though. Boone sees it as a great way to get something out of video games - beyond Nintendo thumb, carpal tunnel syndrome and the like.
"I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember," Boone said. "I have a lot of games. I have all three of the new systems, and I have pretty much every game that's decent for the three systems."
Yeah, maybe he knows what's in the game, but does he know how much for Boardwalk with a hotel? Or can he tell if Colonel Mustard did it with a candlestick in the library?
"My mother has been a computer programmer for years," Boone said. "My father did the same thing. So there have been computers in our lives for years, not necessarily the video-game aspect."
Game days - NBA game days and that's the real NBA, not the simulated one - bring a pass for Boone on the video gaming.
"On a game day, I'm resting up before," Boone said, "and then after the game, typically that's girlfriend time."
But on practice days?
"It's practice, go home, eat, sleep and then play a couple hours," Boone said. "I don't spend a crazy amount of time on it. I did during the summer, but I don't have as much free time now. It's better spent doing other things."
So the time spent playing games might as well be used designing - and playing - games.
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Nets
PAST FOUR GAMES
DATE OPPONENT SCORE
Dec. 27 at Cha W 114-103
Monday vs. Chi L 100-87
Wednesday at Det L 83-75
Last night vs. Atl W 93-91 (OT)
NEXT FOUR GAMES
DATE OPPONENT SCORE
Tonight at Mia 7:30
Monday vs. Sac 7:30
Wednesday vs. Mem 7:30
Friday at Mil 8:30
TV: YES Nets
