The newest version of the Madden NFL video game series will soon have a cover athlete to don its cover (and be cursed for life). Aaron Rodgers, Michael Vick, Peyton Hillis, and Adrian Peterson all vie for a chance to be on the cover, and they all certainly deserve it amidst the accolades they accomplished last season. However, another surprising story that has come up regards the game's new concussion features. The NFL has been trying to educate its players about the dangers of head injuries and concussions recently. Certainly concussions are a bad thing, with many former players suffering immeasurable mental and physical losses due to their days of playing in a lesser caring league. However, implementing concussions in Madden has gone a bit too far. Players who suffer concussions in the game are likely to miss the rest of the game, effectively hindering one's progress as the game goes along. It makes the game more realistic, but the disadvantage is that you can't control that. Sure, someone can get a concussion in the game, but what if it's a guard or long snapper or something? The computer controls most of the players in the game, unless there's a new feature that allows you to control all 11 men on the field at the same time. So, essentially, the game doesn't really teach kids how to avoid concussions or anything. Most of it just deals with fate. This stems from a larger argument that the more realistic video games get, the less they become "video games". Video games are meant to have unrealistic "pinball scores" or more silly galavanting than usual. Video games are a way to escape from reality, and allow one to control a player however they like. In any case, adding concussions is a waste of time. Unless you're one who loves adjusting to injuries and having new personnel on the field, I suggest you turn this feature "off" for good.
No comments:
Post a Comment