The definitive piece of media that has taken over the pop culture landscape during these uncertain times has been Tiger King. The show has been near impossible to avoid, even prompting a new episode to be rushed out to meet demand, and now the stars are making appearances in video games.
Tiger King's eclectic cast of characters has captivated the public, with their increasingly bizarre and outright wild stories from the world of big cat conservation providing shocks to audiences everywhere. With this newfound celebrity, Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, Jeff Lowe, and others find themselves popping up in video games. Players of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the other big media property defining this quarantine era, have already created their own Tiger King islands.
The latest game to see players re-create Joe Exotic in virtual form is NBA 2K20. The NBA, along with other major sporting leagues, has had to postpone their season, with teams trying to keep things going in the eSports world to make up for the lack of live games. 2K20 is one of the only ways to enjoy some basketball right now, and YouTuber 2kToro is taking the game and combining it with the hottest show on Netflix. Using the custom character creator in NBA 2K20 he has created Joe, Carol, Jeff, and Doc Antle in-game.
While the video seems to show that Carole Baskin can't sink a basket, and Joe could have a career as a baller, what it really does is provides a nice bit of levity during some difficult times.
Tiger King will likely continue to dominate pop culture news as the final few people who haven't seen the show make their way to it. And with a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare skin perhaps based on Tiger King's John Finlay, the ripples emanating from the wacky G.W. Zoo extend even further.
NBA 2K20 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.