Madden NFL 13: Head Injury Portrayal Important
With the recent media attention on the NFL’s treatment of concussions and recent cases of concussion lawsuits against the American football behemoth, the spotlight has turned to whether America’s most popular NFL simulation game series treats concussions with the proper amount of seriousness and gravity. Football may be fun to watch from the safety of your living room as you plunge your hands into a bag of Doritos, tilt a few beers back, put your feet up and enjoy the action on the gridiron.
However, on the field, things are not quite so safe. Concussions and other injuries are quite common. That’s why there is a recent spate of lawsuits that call into question the NFL’s handling of such injuries on the field. Football can be quite costly to play. A few observers are now saying that Madden NFL’s treatment of the game should reflect this. Head injuries are serious business and games should reflect this since they might influence how fans overall expect real field head injuries to be dealt with. Madden NFL actually handles in game concussions in a serious manner. If a player is injured, the player will be attended to by medical personnel that will come to him on the field. The player is escorted from the field. There is some time given to determine if the player suffered a concussion. If he did, he won’t be back in the game. Some observers say this is not enough since concussions are, they claim, treated just like any other injury. Wait enough time and the player goes back on the field, and business goes on as usual. Is this a token gesture?
Screenshot from Madden NFL 13 (Credit: EA)
EA Sports has publicly made the point that its in-game procedures for dealing with injuries is appropriate and adequately addresses the issue of head injuries among others. While some observers claim this might not be enough, EA Sports does teach game fans a thing or two regarding the rules and other complexities of football and helps drive home the seriousness of head injuries. Still, critics are saying maybe more game stoppages are needed to drive home the point that there is an injury on the field.
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