EA Sports has announced that the next iteration of its wildly successful Madden NFL videogame series will feature unprecedented emphasis on players suffering on-field concussions during gameplay.
The last few years have seen great strides in the realism of Madden NFL games, so much so that the company has even gotten in some hot water for allegedly using all-too-real likenesses without proper permission.
Nevertheless, EA now seems committed to bringing a truly lifelike feel to its Madden NFL line, even replicating the devastating on-field brain injuries that have gained so much attention in the last 18 months.
In speaking with The New York Times, former NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden, for whom the billion-dollar franchise is named, stressed that the change is aimed squarely at younger kids who might be influenced by smashmouth play depicted in the game that, until now, didn't illuminate the potential lingering consequences.
"Concussions are such a big thing, it has to be a big thing in the videogame," Madden said. "It starts young kids -- they start in videogames. I think the osmosis is if you get a concussion, that's a serious thing and you shouldn't play. Or leading with the head that you want to eliminate. We want that message to be strong."
Even with the ongoing NFL lockout, which threatens to derail the upcoming 2012 season if the players and owners cannot reach a new labor agreement, EA Sports has already said Madden NFL 12 will be released this summer, regardless of whether there's actual football being played.
So for the time being, there's a chance that the only NFL concussions being suffered this fall will be virtual ones.
Photo: Flickr/edlabordems, CC
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