Every Christmas I hope to get the newest version of Madden Football.
Perhaps it is time to say thank you to the artists at EA Sports. My very first football game was a handheld with flashing LED lights. One manipulated one light through a series of other lights in a running play or passed the “ball.” I set up a three-ring notebook where I could track the Packers through a regular season played against the machine.
I kept statistics.
My Commodore 64 made it all better . . . putting 11 “people” on the field for a game. There were any number of plays I could run and if I squinted my eyes, I could pretend there were players. On one game there was even a stats mode for the game so I could collect season statistics. Then EA Sports in conjunction with John Madden, Hall of Fame Coach and announcer, began improving my gaming experience every year.
At this point, a person coming into my living room has to look twice to tell the difference between a televised Packers game and Madden. I spent years having John Madden suggest plays and I remember when EA began to phase out his voice.
I still miss him.
They tell me he has been ill lately and I hope he knows that those of us who do not know him, but appreciate the pleasure he gave us, pray for him. We are thankful.
As for keeping statistics, I now can wallow in reams of stats from every game. Don’t be confused. I am not good and anyone who plays more than a few seasons a year (my goal is to replay the entire Packer season by year’s end without restarting) would laugh at my skills. My life and other interests do not give me the time to master a game that has grown too complex for a hobbyist to master.
And that makes me happy. Every year Madden is a bit better and I never “beat” the game so badly that it ceases to be fun or a challenge.
Video gaming has given me many years of interactive pleasure. My brother and adult kids will play through a mystery or adventure game this Christmas during our days off. EA Sports will give me hours of fun this year. This is a simple “thank you” to an industry that is much maligned.
Gaming is not perfect, because gaming is human, but gaming is also partly divine, because people in God’s image make the games. When we play, especially together, we are living out an artistic vision by hundreds of smart people and it is beautiful. Next year I will take the time to curse the darkness in gaming, but for just now, I rejoice in the light of creative people who have made every year fun. Isn’t it jolly to live in a place and time when for very few dollars (relative to other forms of entertainment) we can enjoy hours of interactive, community fun?
Thanks, EA Sports and get well, John Madden!
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