Historically, injuries haven’t really been a big part 
of video game sports. Showing the real-world effects of the devastating hits from an NFL linebacker tend to remove players from the fantasy environment.
With the next installment of its flagship Madden franchise, however, Electronic Arts plans to emphasize the seriousness of player concussions by preventing in-game players who suffer the head injury from returning to the virtual field.
For NFL players, being named the cover athlete 
for EA’s Madden franchise beats the pants off getting their face plastered on a Wheaties box.
Historically, the company has decided who gets the honor, but this year, it’s letting fans make the decision.
There are still a lot of looming questions about 
the 2011-2012 NFL season – most notably, will there be one? Now that uncertainty is starting to seep into the video game world.
Electronic Arts has already made it very clear: No matter what happens between the players and owners, there will be a new Madden game in stores this August. But if the season is substantially shortened or cancelled altogether, it could have a devastating impact on the game’s success.
[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris talks to 
analysts at M2 and Wedbush Morgan to examine the possible effects on Electronic Arts — and its signature Madden game franchise — of an American football strike.]
Football stadiums across the country might be silent next September – as the prospect of an NFL lockout grows larger by the day – but on the virtual field, the game will still be played.
Electronic Arts will release its 2012 installment of the Madden franchise this year as it has each year since 1988 – but it might be doing so without the marketing force of the league behind it for the first time in the game’s history.
As the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers 
clean out their lockers and the nation debates which Super Bowl commercial was the best, there’s a big cloud hanging over the 2011-2012 NFL season.
A work stoppage is looking increasingly likely — and the effects of that could reach far beyond the gridiron. One company that’s undoubtedly monitoring the situation closely is Electronic Arts.
The first few levels of Mad Chad 
will probably make you smile — as a brief diversion from the day to day. By the time you get halfway through the game, though, you’ll likely be bored, as it hasn’t changed at all from what you started playing. The repetitive elements get old and you quickly realize there’s no real point in collecting the coins you encounter on virtually every level, as they don’t offer any real benefit. This is an average side-scrolling game app, but there are better options available.
Read more at Common Sense Media
Chris Morris: Journalist 