An NFL-approved video game isn't shying away from the hot-button issue of concussions. In "Madden NFL 12," the newest iteration of Electronic Arts' wildly popular series, virtual players subjected to violent onfield hits can suffer concussions, just as in real life. And, in an echo of recently adopted NFL policy, players who sustain those injuries are benched for the rest of the game; a voice-over explains why returning to the field would be ill-advised. An Electronic Arts producer calls the game's new feature a "teaching tool" to instruct children and adults about football injuries. But some gamers are less interested in realism than the traditional "Madden" experience. Are video games really the proper forum for a health lesson?
Kids need this: "Concussions are such a big [issue], it has to be a big thing in the video game," says football legend and game namesake John Madden, as quoted by The New York Times. Young children often learn about football through video games, and the new policy will send the message that "if you get a concussion, that's a serious thing and you shouldn't play." No longer are such injuries a test of a player's courage — the days are gone "when someone would get a concussion and you’d say he just got dinged, take some smelling salts and get back in the game."
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