game girl advance: Fantasty (and otherwise) Football

Fantasty (and otherwise) Football

EA's Madden series is one of the highest-selling franchises in the market - and although a lot of gamery-gamers don't pay much attention to sports games, on the whole, one shouldn't ignore the huge cultural impact that sports games have had, and continue to have.

Witness this insipidly written but still rather interesting article in the Washington Post about gamer kids who know more about football than coaches (supposedly) because of the hours spent playing Madden. If indeed the game knowledge translates so well to real football, then EA has done a fantastic job of modeling the sport.

The other side can be ugly (and hilarious): the lowest-ranked player in the game fires off an angry letter to John Madden in complaint.

Hi, John, my name is Ethan Albright. I play line for the Washington Redskins. You probably already knew that, so I’ll continue. I am writing in regards to the overall player rating of 53 that I have received in Madden NFL Football 2007. I feel that this is fucking bullshit and you should kiss my mother-fucking ass. Ahmed Carroll was rated a 78 and the Packers just cut his ass on a Tuesday morning after his performance in a Monday night game. That is pretty terrible. The worst part is that his overall rating was sniffing 80.

Yes, it's a joke, but it plays off something real - how *do* players feel watching their own stats go up and down with each iteration of the franchise? How would it feel to be a character that hundreds of thousands of people around the world play?

I suppose people who are that famous become somehow inured to it. But it must still feel odd, sometimes, all the same.

Posted by jane at December 06, 2006 04:40 PM

1: Ah, boo-hoo, the poor little rich man isn't happy... These guys play for the NFL (I think - I come from a country where football actually involves playing with your feet rather than your hands!) They get rather well paid for it and they know (at least, these days they do) that part of the deal is their 'character' gets sold to the highest bidder for the official game. If they really object that much, they could always make room for new players who might not... Perhaps form their own league which doesn't try to cash in in this way?

2: 78 out of the 200 million-odd people in the USA really isn't that bad! I'd be content with anything in the top, erm... 95% of that, to be honest!

I think they should appreciate it for being even a remotely accurate reflection. Imagine if, for example, the game were crossed with the Vices & Virtues system from Medieval: Total War!

"What?! I'm not adulterous! Where'd they get THAT from?!"

Posted by: Zild on December 7, 2006 12:51 AM

Football knowledge via Madden is an interesting "phenomenon." I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable in football and, in my opinion, playing Madden can never help you become more knowledgeable then the coaches who are on the field.

for those of you interested, look at the "Quickest Six Seconds" (or something of that effect) in the most recent issue of ESPN the magazine. The way plays are drawn, and the analysis of your opponents on the field in just seconds is startling; its also something you don't find in Madden.

Although Madden may help you predict the production of a player, it will never allow you to coach or play better then the professionals.

Posted by: karyu on December 7, 2006 05:28 PM