If ESPN Can Replay Games With Madden '09, Let Us Do It Too
from the boom-goes-the-dynamite dept
In an effort to become more relevant to a new generation of football fans, this Sunday on “NFL Countdown,” ESPN anchors will interact with simulated football players created using EA’s video game technology. Using Madden ’09, ESPN’s football analysts can model different variations of plays to demonstrate possible outcomes. So, instead of just drawing X’s and O’s on a telestrator, ESPN anchors will be able to interact with the virtual players on camera to illustrate various football strategies and outcomes. ESPN and EA forged a 15-year partnership back in 2005, and this move strengthens both brand’s ties with their audiences.
As the video game has improved, using Madden to illustrate plays has been done increasingly over the past few years, but football spectating still has to cross the chasm of interactivity when compared to the video game experience. In the video game, you’re able to change camera angles, slow down the cameras, and highlight things like passing routes and defensive coverages — all at the click of a few buttons. EA’s new system, EA Sports Virtual Playbook, loads in actual gameplay data from the previous day’s game, with which ESPN’s anchors can then replay and modify the simulation to become the ultimate version of a Monday morning quarterback. That’s great and all, it would be even better to let fans download that data to their Xboxes, do their own analysis and then share that back with the community. Though, that scenario is most likely a pipe dream, considering that the NFL still freaks out about even sharing more than 45-seconds of game footage.
Filed Under: football, interaction, madden football, replays, video games
Companies: ea, espn
Comments on “If ESPN Can Replay Games With Madden '09, Let Us Do It Too”
Machnima?
Sounds like Machinima. Too bad that it’s generally frowned upon as unlicensed derivative work. Although if you negotiated a license deal, I’m sure they’d be accommodating…
Lame
These video game replay things have been used in varying ways before, and none of them end up looking good. They play action isn’t up to speed, and it ends up looking very fake and hokey. I’d prefer the yellow lines drawn on the TV, preferrably by Madden himself.
So rather than praising ESPN for embracing technology you just attack the NFL. You are such a freaking tool. Nice way to have an agenda and be completely skewed.
Re: Re:
So rather than praising ESPN for embracing technology you just attack the NFL.
Hmm. I didn’t see it as an attack, but just a suggestion that could help get people even more engaged in the game.
Nice way to have an agenda and be completely skewed.
And what “agenda” would that be?!? How DARE Dennis suggest a way that the NFL could get more fans engaged with the game.