If you turn to “Madden” to escape from the frustrations of watching real-life football, you might be disappointed.
That’s because the referees in the highly popular video game series are, much like their NFL counterparts, prone to making blatantly incorrect calls. The difference, though, is the digital officials actually are programmed to do so, Kotaku reported Monday.
Now, if you’ve ever played a “Madden” game, or any sports video game for that matter, you’ve likely encountered some pretty fishy calls, like the one seen in the video below. But Kotaku, curious about a former Electronic Arts employee’s description of a “referee strictness” system, recently sought confirmation from the gaming publisher, which confirmed that “human error” indeed is built into “Madden.”
So, why is human error intentionally integrated into a game that is essentially perfect calculus masquerading as football?
Well, without such error, there would be no need for the game’s challenge system which, like in the real NFL, is a key component to the competitive experience. And, at the end of the day, isn’t this all in the spirit of staying true to the term “simulation?”
The good news is that in competitive play, such as the recently announced Madden NFL Club Championship, human error reportedly will be absent. After all, we wouldn’t want cognitive incompetence influencing the outcome of a game that actually matters.
Thumbnail photo via EA Sports
