Since Mrs. Liquid Architecture got me a Kindle for Christmas, I’ve been on a bit of a magazine article bender renaissance. In case you missed them, be sure to check out this chilling article on Marvin Harrison’s gun rap from GQ of all places, along with their entertaining take on EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour series, post… whatever you want to call Tiger’s whole thing.
Wired’s always a treat to read and Chris Suellentrop dropped a gem in this month’s issue, exploring how gaming’s most successful franchise is also the best selling off-the-shelf field simulator for a very specific group of employees – NFL players. Suellentrop calls on a crystal clear illustration from a Bengals/Broncos game earlier this season to show how The Game (Madden) has come to influence the game.
He does a good job showing how EA’s crown jewel series has shaped this generation of NFL players, but I’m surprised Suellentrop didn’t explore how Madden‘s impacted the game itself, and the fan experience of how NFL football is covered.
Digital 1st down lines make the game more accessible to casual fans
For example, every NFL game (and most college football games) I’ve seen since the lat 90′s make use of a digital line to highlight the distance for a first down. It’s become so commonplace, hardly anyone even talks about it anymore. When the “virtual line” tech first debuted way back in 1998, I can even recall people saying how it was “just like in a video game.” Would those handy little markers even exist without Madden?
Skycam apes Madden to show viewers the QB's options
SkyCam (and it’s other branded cousin, CableCam) more recently revolutionized coverage of the game. It first debuted in the XFL (just like HeHateMe!), giving viewers a floating vantage point above the quarterback. For the first time in a real live game, we got to clearly see the passing lanes and defensive set at the line of scrimmage, just like in (say it with me now) Madden! Of course, the makers of SkyCam deserve a lot of credit for their ingenious system of reels, pulleys and cables that make SkyCam work. But I have to believe the genesis for their entire operation was Madden’s primary camera, and aping that as close as possible in a living, breathing 3D space.
Of course, long time readers (all 3 of you) will remember yours truly covered how ESPN more overtly incorporated Madden into their NFL highlights show. So Madden imitates life imitates Madden.
