Every year in Pamplona, the Running of the Bulls is celebrated. Every year in State College, a much less known but equally significant (to me) event is held. It is known as the Running of the Stub. During the glorious day, Stub runs (drives) on a specially designed course (road) for nearly 2 miles from his holding area (living room) to the finish line (Best Buy). The reason for this event to end all events? The annual release of EA Sport's NCAA Football video game. If you are disappointed by just how anti-climactic that revelation was, then you probably werent reading carefully enough. You may also not like college football... which is a synonym for dementia.
During the aftermath of each year's festival, the event's only human spectator (my girlfriend Jenn) reminds me of what a dubious financial decision it was to buy, in effect the exact same game I bought last year, for little more than cosmetic features enhancements and slightly more realistic stadiums. Kuma (my labrador) and I will then laugh at how funny such a statement is. And by laugh I mean I will laugh and Kuma will steal my pizza crust.
More often than not, of course, Jenn is right. EA does very few massive overhauls of the game from year to year, choosing instead to refine features, sharpen graphics, or to add touches of realism here or there. Like any good obsessive fan, I overplay the significance of the "more realistic recruitment system" or the "improved hit physics" that EA will tout. To a normal person however, these subtle improvements wouldnt even come close to being worth $60 every 12 months. Thank good I'm not normal =)
But this year, EA has added one new feature to the Xbox 360 version of the game that really caught my eye. Saveable highlights. Say what? Lets say, for example, you and a friend are playing a big game against each other. In said game, you make a spectacular diving catch during a key moment that seals your victory, and your bragging rights until next time. In NCAA '08, you can save that play to your hard drive, from any camera angle you choose. Not only can you then upload these video files to Xbox live to share with friends and all your rival's co-workers, but the game will actually incorporate your clips into the main menu screen. So the next time your friend comes over to play, he can be taunted by your spectacular catch mocking him as the game loads up.
Now I know what you are probably thinking. Stub, you find this a little too interesting. So you can save highlights of virtual football games. So what? Yea, you're probably right. Shareable, web accessible user created video content probably wont catch on (cough)...
I havent had an opportunity to play with this new feature on Xbox live yet, but I'm really excited that EA is offering this sort of functionality. I've asked the question where is gaming headed before, and I think that this is part of the answer. Games yield created content, which yield additional entertainment and social experiences outside of the game itself.
Genius.
Images from gamespot.com and youtube.com
OK, I get it ... you are crazy.
But that last sentence about games creating content strikes a chord with me ... I spend a great deal of time touting "user generated" content as evidence of the rise of digital literacy. In this scenario, so much can be carried forward. Your example of taunting your rival over and over again is compelling, but being able to use the realistic engines behind a game like this could be used for so much more.
I think we see this already in TV's use of EA game clips to show off plays and other simulated action. But will this usher in a whole new level of training and education for kids in high school? I know the big time teams at the NCAA and NFL level can afford powerful simulation engines, but could a high school coach, for $60, create an entire playbook of highlights that form the basis of a team's play calling?