EA Sports veteran Gordon Bellamy reveals how NFL and Madden games are taking injuries more seriously
"Injuries were glamorized, it was comedy", says Gordon Bellamy, veteran designer for Madden NFL games.
It is impossible to talk about sports video games without talking about Gordon Bellamy, one of the key figures in making the Madden NFL the game we know it today... which had a huge influence in the FIFA series that is now called as EA Sports FC.
In a panel hosted by our own David Caballero at San Diego Comic Con Málaga, Bellamy revealed how Madden pushed the boundaries between arcade and simulation, with football (both American football and 'soccer' football) games becoming more and more realistic. That means more features making the games more believable (like going from 5 vs. 5 or 7 vs. 7 instead of 11 on 11, or removing the radar showing the whole pitch in real time). And, it turns out, that also meant taking injuries more seriously.
"I think that in the past, injuries were glamorized. Back when we had Madden, we had like the ambulance come out, and it was like comedy, like someone is hurt. I think that now, because of create a player, but also as games have gotten more realistic, people have gotten more thoughtful about injuries and outcomes. It's not as funny, it's not slapstick. It's real.
"And so I think that like the leagues, like the NFL, like with their entertainment, they themselves have to be more thoughtful about the dangers of their sport", Bellamy said.
Further reading: Gordon Bellamy on inclusivity in games: "When you're able to find yourself... it has great meaning"
Madden games and NFL take injuries more seriously now
Bellamy notes that there have been greater awareness about the danger of injuries in sports, and particularly American football, where chronic traumatic encephalopathies (CTE) are a real danger for athletes competing in certain contact sports. A movie released in 2015, Concussion, starring Will Smith, helped raise awareness about this type of condition, that can have very serious consequences, including mood problems and dementia.
Last July, a shooter attacked a New York City office building, killing four people. According to investigations, he was a former American football player with CTE, which resulted in serious mental health issues, and was targetting NFL offices. He had a suicide note, saying that "you can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you".