Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Madden(ing)!

NFL Donates $30 Million to Federal Brain Research in Exchange for Removal of "Concussion" Feature from Madden '13 Video Game

UCSD Researcher: "We need the money more than the game needs that level of reality."

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/10/31223/

LIGHTING A CANDLE IN FRONT OF FRAMED JUNIOR SEAU JERSEY IN THE DEN - The reviews are in: Madden '13 delivers a more realistic pro football gameplay experience than any of the famed video game's previous incarnations. Raves Ross Edwards of the Sentinel & Enterprise, "Gone are the rigid, preset tackling animations of years past. When hulking NFL behemoths collide, they now react much more realistically, a fundamental change that drastically improves the flow of each game...The collision system improves every aspect of the on-field action...Yes, the new physics make for some hilariously unrealistic moments. Players sometimes ragdoll ridiculously on contact, limbs contorting in gruesome ways, before popping up ready for the next snap..."

What Edwards does not mention, however, is that a Beta version of Madden '13, recently obtained by SD on the QT, offered some moments that were far from "hilariously unrealistic." Gamers were given the option to turn on a "concussion mode," which meant that certain types of tackles and blocks were liable to leave a player lying unconscious on the ground instead of "popping up ready for the next snap." Depending on the severity of the hit, a player could be sidelined for the remainder of the half, or even the entire game. And given enough such injuries, a player could be removed from the team's roster altogether.

"Everything about the game is getting amped up more and more each season," said a designer for Madden '13, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Backs and receivers are laying themselves out, making themselves more vulnerable to crushing hits for the sake of an extra yard at the end of a run. Linebackers are hurling themselves against linemen who are not only bigger than lineman have ever been, but faster and stronger, too. The risk of injury is increasing exponentially, and we felt that the most realistic football video game on the market should reflect that. Plus, you know, the whole Junior thing. That left a lot of us here pretty shaken up."

Surprisingly, NFL executives were less than thrilled when they were shown the new feature, and demanded that it be removed. When EA Games pushed back, saying that a concussion-free football game was like a death-free Call of Duty ("A level of fantasy that even gamers might not tolerate," according to the designer), the League offered to cut a deal. They would donate $30 million for brain injury research, and Madden '13 would ship without "concussion mode." In the end, EA accepted, on the grounds that real, physical good trumped virtual physical danger.

"Still," said the designer, "the whole thing leaves me with a bad feeling. I almost wish I was back working on God of War. Sure, it was bloodier, but it depicted a world of obvious make-believe. With Madden '13, it's still make-believe. The problem is, it's not obvious."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
Next Article

At 4pm, this Farmer's Table restaurant in Chula Vista becomes Acqua e Farina

Brunch restaurant by day, Roman style trattoria by night

NFL Donates $30 Million to Federal Brain Research in Exchange for Removal of "Concussion" Feature from Madden '13 Video Game

UCSD Researcher: "We need the money more than the game needs that level of reality."

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/10/31223/

LIGHTING A CANDLE IN FRONT OF FRAMED JUNIOR SEAU JERSEY IN THE DEN - The reviews are in: Madden '13 delivers a more realistic pro football gameplay experience than any of the famed video game's previous incarnations. Raves Ross Edwards of the Sentinel & Enterprise, "Gone are the rigid, preset tackling animations of years past. When hulking NFL behemoths collide, they now react much more realistically, a fundamental change that drastically improves the flow of each game...The collision system improves every aspect of the on-field action...Yes, the new physics make for some hilariously unrealistic moments. Players sometimes ragdoll ridiculously on contact, limbs contorting in gruesome ways, before popping up ready for the next snap..."

What Edwards does not mention, however, is that a Beta version of Madden '13, recently obtained by SD on the QT, offered some moments that were far from "hilariously unrealistic." Gamers were given the option to turn on a "concussion mode," which meant that certain types of tackles and blocks were liable to leave a player lying unconscious on the ground instead of "popping up ready for the next snap." Depending on the severity of the hit, a player could be sidelined for the remainder of the half, or even the entire game. And given enough such injuries, a player could be removed from the team's roster altogether.

"Everything about the game is getting amped up more and more each season," said a designer for Madden '13, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Backs and receivers are laying themselves out, making themselves more vulnerable to crushing hits for the sake of an extra yard at the end of a run. Linebackers are hurling themselves against linemen who are not only bigger than lineman have ever been, but faster and stronger, too. The risk of injury is increasing exponentially, and we felt that the most realistic football video game on the market should reflect that. Plus, you know, the whole Junior thing. That left a lot of us here pretty shaken up."

Surprisingly, NFL executives were less than thrilled when they were shown the new feature, and demanded that it be removed. When EA Games pushed back, saying that a concussion-free football game was like a death-free Call of Duty ("A level of fantasy that even gamers might not tolerate," according to the designer), the League offered to cut a deal. They would donate $30 million for brain injury research, and Madden '13 would ship without "concussion mode." In the end, EA accepted, on the grounds that real, physical good trumped virtual physical danger.

"Still," said the designer, "the whole thing leaves me with a bad feeling. I almost wish I was back working on God of War. Sure, it was bloodier, but it depicted a world of obvious make-believe. With Madden '13, it's still make-believe. The problem is, it's not obvious."

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The NFL’s paltry concussion settlement

Sleight-of-hand sports
Next Article

NFL seeks larger (court) audience

Ex-Charger Ken Neil filed originally in state court, league seeks federal justice
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader