Want to Make Madden More Realistic? Add Madden

ESPN previews this year's incarnation of my favorite video game, Madden Football. My favorite part about Madden is the way they always strive to get everything realistic. What do I mean by "everything?" Let Phil Frazier, senior producer for Madden, explain:

"Green gloves in Seattle, all the new jerseys that have been announced, Super Bowl patches for the players -- it's all about authenticity... we're even looking into fixing Troy Polamalu's hair... We want everything you see on Sunday to be seen in 'Madden NFL 10'... If you see a kicker warming up on the sideline, that's the type of detail we want you to see in Madden as well. All those details, from little things like the right stripes on uniforms to the kickers warming up, that's what you're going to see in the game... I just think the game is really starting to feel like an NFL simulation should feel, and that's really what I'm most proud of."

In other words (actually, the same word repeated again), everything. And all of it in the name of authenticity. One aspect highlighted in the article is the larger rating gaps between elite and average players. Why is that important? Frazier, again (emphasis mine):

"The more I talk to players, the more I realize how important these video game ratings really are. These numbers are talked about in the locker rooms and even on the practice field. When somebody misses a block, guys will joke about how his rating just dropped five points."

Well, in the name of authenticity/ realism, players teasing each other about their Madden ratings has to be incorporated into the game. In fact, the right way to do that is to have the players in Madden play a "Madden" video game and then have them tease each other in Madden about their "Madden" scores. Of course, in the "Madden" game they play in Madden, the players should be playing "Madden."

It's simple. It looks exactly like this:


Or a Matryoshka Doll.

Whatever. It's still less confusing than Lost.