Commentary

New video games hype bawdy off-field antics

The newest craze: Live the life of pro athletes during and away from the game.

By VINCENT THOMAS
Published January 1, 2006

Remember Ten-Yard Fight and Double Dribble for Nintendo? What about Tecmo Bowl, or the early incarnations of the Madden franchise? They were games built on the premise that fans would pine to manipulate video athletes and vicariously realize fantasies of being Bo Jackson or Larry Bird.

All that has evolved into Blitz: The League and NBA Ballers. Both are produced by Midway Games Inc. and assume consumers are, if nothing else, as entertained by the lifestyles of professional athletes.

"I think a lot of people find the off-the-field things more interesting these days," said Reiley Brennan, director of media relations for Midway Games Inc.

Midway hired Peter Egan, one of the principal writers who crafted the athlete-story angles that made the canceled series Playmakers one of ESPN's most watched pieces of original entertainment. He brought that fast-life motif to Midway, which was looking to add to its already over-the-top game play. Since Blitz doesn't feature actual NFL teams or players, it's able to push the envelope without pressure from the image-conscious NFL.

Witness a scene in Blitz, with bad-boy Lawrence Taylor in its lead role closely resembling the character he played in Any Given Sunday, in which gamers can spend $25,000 and get hookers sent to an opponent's hotel room the evening before a game, hoping his frisky night will tire him. Or check out Ballers, which features Stephon Marbury on the cover in a velour sweat suit with enough diamonds on his wrist and neck to make 100 marriage proposals. Ballers' plot is the new fairy tale for kids: challenge NBA greats one on one, and as gamers dispose of Allen Iverson and Dr. J they accumulate the spoils that come with it - cribs, cars, jewels and women.

Even the more mainstream games, such as Madden NFL '06, NBA Live '06 and Sony's NBA '06, come with special features that allow gamers to envelop themselves in aspects of today's industry that don't involve playing the sport. Free agents can hold out in Madden's special "superstar mode." Players get endorsement deals in NBA Live. NBA '06 has a game within the game, The Life, which, like Blitz's Campaign, is closer to the Grand Theft Auto series than it is Madden or NBA Live. The Life allows gamers to assume that of a rookie and everything that comes with it, the news conferences, agent shenanigans and dizzying pace.

Fans' fixations with lifestyles of athletes aren't new. The difference is access. Reality television, 24-hour news and sports and lifestyle magazines have given fans a keener glimpse into athletes' lives. Midway, EA Sports and Sony are beginning to capitalize on that appetite.

Still, tamer games reign supreme sales-wise. Madden '06 sold 1.7-million copies in its first week, and Blitz is looking to sell 1.5-million copies for the year. Part of that could be Blitz's M rating, for audiences 17 and older.

As athlete behavior continues to make headlines and the public's fascination refuses to wane, it's a safe bet the gaming industry will keep pace.

Gone, it seems, are the days of sports video games being just sports video games.

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:29:14]