Join the cast of Another Videogame Webcomic as we peek behind the curtain to see what exactly goes into bringing your favorite video games to the small screen. It may be a job in video games, but it's still a job.
Madden (Curse) 10
Being a pro football player has got to be a tough gig. You basically put your body on the line for sixty minutes pretty much week to week for seventeen weeks and hope for more. So when you're one of the top players in the league and EA offers you a boatload of money and the cover of one of the video game industry's best selling franchises, it's a no brainer, right? Even with the possibility (probability) that you'd get injured and wouldn't be able to play? If anything, personally, I think that'd make the choice even easier... then again, that's why I'm not a pro football player.
Anyone who follows football or even videogames knows about the supposed "Madden Curse". Since the cover of Madden 2001, when specific players were highlighted on the game's cover instead of the titular former football commentator, those players have been suffered injury or poor performance (sometimes both) that season. If you look back at all of the covers in the past ten years, it's astonishing the accuracy (or coincidence) the curse has. I'm sure that Eddie George (Madden 2001), Daunte Culpepper (Madden 2002), Marshall Faulk (Madden 2003), Michael Vick (Madden 2004), Ray Lewis (Madden 2005), Donovan McNabb (Madden 2006), Shaun Alexander (Madden 2007), Vince Young (Madden 2008), Brett Farve (Madden 2009) and now, Troy Polamalu (co-cover boy of Madden 2010) would agree.
So, is the curse actually a curse or is it just coincidence? After all, it's not like these guys are playing 18 rounds of golf every Sunday. They're playing football, where some of the players resemble creatures of myth more than they do your average guy. And essentially, the game boils down to one person trying to go in one direction and another person trying their hardest to stop that by going full steam ahead in the opposite direction. You know what else that reminds me of? A car crash. It's a wonder that more players aren't hurt every weekend. And more players are hurt every weekend, it's just that sometimes no one is looking...
To put it plainly, the players that EA puts on the covers of Madden aren't scrubs. They're picked because they are one of the best players in the league, because they're at the top of their game. When you're at the top of your game, by definition there's no place to go but down. And it's a lot easier to trip and fall on your face when no one is looking than to trip and fall on your face when everyone is looking. Does the cover of Madden curse a player to injury or does it only serve to highlight an inevitable injury a player sustains? If Plaxico Burress was on the cover of Madden 09 instead of Brett Farve, would we have blamed him shooting himself on the Madden curse instead of his own inability to handle a firearm?
But if you were a pro football player and EA offered you a boatload of money and the cover of one of the video game industry's best selling franchises, why would you take the chance of possibly (probably) being injured? The simple answer, for most, is money. Since there's a high probability that you're going to get injured anyway, why not take the spotlight and the cash? Because if you don't, then all you have is a season ending injury. And I'm not a medical doctor, but I think rubbing your torn ACL with a wad of hundred dollar bills makes the pain go away faster.
As much as I'm rationalizing the Madden Curse, I can't help but be a little superstitious. Aren't all sports fans? Everything has to be "just so" when watching a game. Because it really matters that you were wearing your lucky jersey with the holes in it when your team won that game that one time. It really doesn't, but we like to believe that we're doing everything we can to help our team win. With that being said, I'm glad it's Larry Fitzgerald from the Cardinals on the other half of the Madden 10 cover. And I hope to never see another one of the Philadelphia Eagles on the cover of a Madden game in the future...
Player Two
After the resurgence of multiplayer co-op, GameBizCo Inc. hired Player Two to be the Goose to someone else's Maverick. His workload isn't quite as heavy as most of the other people working at GameBizCo Inc. and as a result, he spends a lot of time in the break room or playing computer solitaire.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction
Player One
Player One is top dog at GameBizCo Inc. Nearly every game, from Pong to Mario Bros to Grand Theft Auto, requires Player One's expertise. His cocksure and sometimes inappropriate attitude is an annoyance to his coworkers but seeing as every game needs a first player, they make due.
First Appearance: Bonus Stage! Here comes Player One!
Damsel I. Distress
Whether it be a castle, a dungeon or mystical island, Damsel always needs to be saved... and she hates it. Damsel longs for the day when she's given the role of a strong female lead character who doesn't have huge breasts with hyper accurate physics.
First Appearance: LittleBIGPlanet
Final Boss
Underneath the huge brute that is Final Boss lies a timid creature who wouldn't hurt a fly. He puts on his "angry face" when throwing barrels down ramps or breathing fire but deep down he feels sorry for doing so. He's been known to throw a game or two in the player's favor.
First Appearance: World Record
John Minion
John Minion, or Min for short, is the hardest working employee at GameBizCo Inc. Playing everything from Goombas to no name thugs, Min gets beat up on a daily basis but loves every minute of it. He always wanted to work in the gaming industry and was originally hired as an intern. After years of getting coffee, his big break came when someone called in sick... and the rest is history.
First Appearance: Watchmen: The End is Nigh
Middle Manager
Middle Manager works in the Human Resources department. He runs staff meetings and interviews prospective employees. The other 90% of his time is spent playing Freecell on his computer.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction