Come on, folks. Grow up.

First of all, the more we find out about this controversial deal, the more it appears that EA was merely the high bidder of a contract that the NFL deliberately sold as "Exclusive". By all accounts, that is what the NFL wanted, and that's what the NFL got. That being the case, its extremely ridiculous to fault EA for a very logical business decision on their part. The blame should be affixed squarely on the league and the team owners, as well as Players Inc. However, the amusing thing is that you see people promising to boycott EA's NFL football game next year, yet you see nobody threatening to stop watching the NFL, or their favorite NFL team. What's the matter people, you aren't willing to boycott the massively popular National Football League? Hmmm... funny.

The situation is akin to having your favorite uncle sell his entertainment system- that you love- on EBAY without asking you. So instead of hating your ultra-popular uncle (We'll call him the "Uncle NFL"), you lash out your anger at the person who legally bought his old entertainment system on EBAY, (We'll call that buyer "EA").

Now, no matter how much you KNOW that good ol' Uncle "NFL" is at fault, its much easier to hate that faceless corporate EBAY buyer who now has your stuff and acquired it legally (Mr. EA). Still, you can't help but remember the good times you and Uncle NFL have on all those Sundays, and especially that big party that he throws in late January of every year that you wouldn't dare miss. Plus, good ol' Uncle NFL brings so many cool people to your house on weekends- like Mr. Manning, Mr. Owens, and Mr. Brady. Its just too hard to stay mad at that uncle! So you gloss over Uncle NFL's role in the removal of your uncle's entertainment system, and irrationally lash out at the faceless Mr. EA, who now has your stuff, no matter how legit Mr. EA's transaction was from your uncle.

Just remember folks, its good ol' "Uncle NFL" that wronged you. Not Mr. EA. Keep that in perspective, especially as you gather around for another one of Uncle NFL's big parties this upcoming Saturday and Sunday.

But, unlike many of you, I'm not sitting around and moaning like the childish, irrational "Hudson"- from the movie "Aliens"- and yelling "Game over man! Game over! We are in some real pretty sh** now man!!!!" Nope. Not at all. I'm not ready to say "Game Over"-

-But I am ready to say "Game Different".

Of course, "Game Different" means change, and initially we are all against change. That is human-nature for you. I honestly think that some fresh innovation and creativity will rise to the surface of football gaming after this announcement. I know this is a bit hard to digest, but hear me out. The old "formula" for making a football game was simple, yet very formulatic. All you did was pay for the league license and try to make the best NFL game available. Every NFL football video game follows that formula. Basically "Put the NFL logo and player names in the game and people will buy". However, as Midway will attest, getting in bed with the NFL has a price. Paul Tagliabue and the league office are VERY protective of the league image. Example, the ESPN TV drama "Playmakers"- that the league bullied out of existence (despite having fictional teams!) The truth was that ESPN the network TV station needed the NFL more than the NFL needed them, so they unfortunately caved. Then there's the well-publicized war between Midway and the NFL regarding the violence in NFL Blitz. The league watchdogs also harassed EA sports about the new "Hit Stick" in Madden. The league told EA it could use the hit-stick as long as it wasn't related to an increase in player injuries. Suddenly we see the league as a "big brother" game-oversight boardroom.

But here's the thing- with EA being the sole owner of the NFL contract, those rules just went out the window for everyone else. The NFL has nothing to do with Visual Concepts, Midway, 989 Sports, and Microsoft- and this can be liberating in terms of game design.

I know, you are still thinking I'm off my rocker... but bear with me a bit longer...

We will probably see a new crop of football games rise up out of the ashes of Black Monday's fallout. That may not be a bad thing. Lots of new, exciting things could happen. Midway has already announced "Blitz-Playmakers" which is a new version of Blitz, but REALLY over the top and edgy- yet with no NFL affiliation. I've never been a huge fan of Blitz, but I think they are on to something here. Here's some ideas.

1. This is hypothetical, but imagine if a company such as Rockstar North, the makers of the GTA series, bought one of the existing football sim engines and development teams. Now let them create a game that allows off-field play as well as on field. Think of it- being able to control your players after practice or after a game in a huge, sprawling city environment, hitting the clubs, raising some hell, chasing women. It would be up to you to keep your players in top notch shape, but also keep them happy, make sure they get to practice, etc. You could make it as gritty as you want it to be on and off the field. Give each team a living, breathing cityscape and field as a backdrop for each fictional team in the league. You could juice up the injuries after big hits, and keep the game raw. Of course, you'd have to keep the games themselves realistic and on par with EA's on-field game, but you can have your players in a living, breathing world that isn't limited to game time on Sunday afternoon. The possibilities are endless, and keep in mind- you wouldn't have been able to have done this if your game had an NFL license. Give the players rich personalities- kinda like the "Playmakers" guys, or the players from "Any Given Sunday". You could have a HUGE hit on your hands. (Note: I mention an affiliation with Rockstar North on a project like this merely because it would give such a game instant credibility in the marketplace) Granted, this would be an MA17 game, more aimed as older gamers, but I think a great deal of us would be very interested in such an innovative product, no matter how "Fictional" the league within the game is. Now, onto other thoughts...

2. This situation will also no-doubt lead to a situation where the football game company with the best roster editor, uniform editor, and stadium editor gets the notoriety. IF we can't have the NFL, we can edit our game to be the NFL. We will need rich, user-friendly roster editors to do that. Gamemakers of 2005 will feel pressured to provide such customization options in their game. That's a good thing.

3. You'll probably see competition in the college football arena. It would make a lot of sense for someone like Visual Concepts to adapt their rich engine to the college game, and do battle with EA on that front. Hey, we're all for more college football games too!

4. How about classic football products. The league license and the Players Inc. license only grants present-day players for use in the games. Some quick-thinking on the part of someone like Sega could easily sign on the Pro Football Hall Of Fame to use its players in the game. Someone could make a couple hundred classic teams with editable uniforms, stadiums, tournaments, seasons, you name it. Also, I don't think the NFL holds the rights to now-defunct stadiums, just present day ones. So that could open up the door for recreations of Three Rivers Stadium, Cleveland Municipal, Veterans Stadium, Los Angeles Coliseum (aka "The Mausoleum"), RFK Stadium, and the Silverdome to name a few. Then, give us period-specific uniforms, including leather helmets, 70s facemasks, black shoes, stickum, ... the works. Again, a rich editor helps. You could call it Pro Football Hall Of Fame or Pro Football History.... etc. etc....

There's alot that can be done, and many football game designers who are now freed-up to do it. Remember, an NFL license is both popular, but also limiting in terms of league oversight. I have tons of faith in the American video game designers to be able to further innovate despite the NFL's deal with EA. Actually, I am excited about the possibilities. Give these folks a chance to wow us. Now they are working without the very limiting "NFL Formula", and that could lead to many things we didn't expect.

On a final note, I would also like to say that I also have tons of faith in the guys at EA/Tiburon. These guys are taking some very un-deserved heat about this move. I've met some of these people and corresponded with them in the past, and let me tell you that these are a proud, talented group of designers and artists who work some long hours every day at their craft. I honestly don't think they will let us down. They will be the first to tell you that being the only NFL game in town also comes with considerable pressure. They know they have to do much much more than "Show Up". I'm sure they also realize the critical microscope their games will be viewed under by the reviewers, press, and media. That in itself is a force to contend with. Plus, lets not forget- Madden 2001 totally wowed us on PS2 without any competition, and many of us still remember our reactions upon firing up our first ever game of the 2001 release. It did nothing short of make the Playstation 2 the biggest selling game system on the planet. But, considering the current events of the week, I can tell you that these proud, talented EA designers will get lots of pressure from us the fans. Don't forget- pressure makes diamonds, and I look forward to big gems from these guys in the next five years.

Remember, its not "Game Over"... just "Game Different"

See you on the virtual gridiron.

Quietcool72
Co-Founder
www.consolefootball.com

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