Professional basketball players are getting a little help on the court from their video games. Advanced motion capture and artificial intelligence allow them to apply what they see on their consoles to the real world.

In a recent interview for the LA Times, various NBA players talked about the ways video games including NBA2K10 and NBA Live help improve their game. The fact that most of the players in the game are motion captured to the last detail helps deliver a truly realistic experience, allowing players to experience the game from a different perspective.

Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies said he had adopted a move called the Euro Step after seeing it in the game. Also, after seeing his virtual persona in the game, he realized that it had a lot more stamina than himself, so that made him train harder on his conditioning and stay after practice.

Other players, including DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers, have even devised strategies for specific players from other teams by watching their moves on the games. According to Jordan, some players have certain moves that they will perform on certain situations and by figuring them out on the game he can actually anticipate them in a real game.

It’s amazing how accurate this games are getting. I remember the old days of the Tecmo Bowl and how Bo Jackson could literally run circles around everybody for 15 minutes and then score a touchdown. And I also remember that, as funny as it was, it was really cheap.

I like today’s sports games better. Some of these athletes are already doing uncanny things so maybe the more real the games become, in some cases that makes them even more incredible.

Read [LA Times]