system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How does a voice commentary for sports videogames (ex. NBA 2K12) actually get recorded? How does it actually work?

Well, explain like I'm 8 would be adequate. My nephew is constantly amazed that the commentators seem to almost always be saying the right thing whenever he plays his NBA 2K12 on his Playstation. I notice that the comments may get a bit repetitive at times, but it also still quite blows my mind. So how do they do it? Do they record thousands of lines, each time saying every specific player's name? I just can't imagine what's happening behind the scenes.



Edit: I realized that I used the word "actually" twice. Lol. Anyway, thank you for all the replies!
gpt
They don't record every line for every player. They'll record each player's name in a couple of tones of voice, and then plug the recording of the name into a longer line of commentary.

However, some of the lines that are specific to a individual player are recorded with the player name in full.

As for how the game knows what to say and when to say it: any event in the game can trigger commentary, and the game will choose from a selection of lines that will fit the current situation.

You're right though, it is pretty incredible how far video game commentary has come over the years. Back in the early 2000s, things were even more repetitive, to the point where I'd play most sports games with the commentary off!