The Power Within The Palm of Your Hands

Introduction:

Madden NFL Mobile is the phone version of the EA Sports’ Madden, Which is normally played on consoles such as Xbox or Playstation. Madden NFL Mobile was released in August 26, 2014 for both Android and IOS (Apple). This allowed football fanatics to  continue playing while on the go. The game follows the same format as the original console version, where you become the general manager of your team while simultaneously competing against other teams to win the Super Bowl. madden-nfl-mobile

In the previous blog, I talked about the aesthetics of Madden 25, which is the latest console version. Being a football player and fanatic, the idea of having this game in the palm of my hands gives me a sort of power. Knowing that my teammates and I would spend hours at each others houses to play, we are now able to play amongst ourselves wherever we are.
!GAMEPLAY!
Though this game gives such a nostalgia to the Madden gaming world, the mobile game itself does not compel to be a “good game” As you play, it leaves you with many limitations compared to the original version. The controls vaguely mimic the common format to most mobile games. The season mode runs to where you play8dfakc
against the computer and with each victory, you move closer to playing in the Super Bowl. Your  game play options for both offense and defense are very limited in the beginning of the season. Although by successfully completing challenges, you are reward by new game plays.

The GIF above shows the gameplay action in the offensive perspective. Like the original Madden, you choose the player by the letter of the control if they are open.

Madden Mobile does not only let you play in season mode but the main purpose of its mobility is the capability to play against other people nationwide while on the go. The live events mode allows you to challenge others to play your team for points. This becomes the main competitive aspect of the game and to be the top notch player, you must stay undefeated.

                              !?IS IT EVEN A GAME?!

This may not be the greatest game but according to game philosophers such as Jesper Juul and Alexander Galloway, it meets the requirements to be a “game”.

“A game is a rule-based formal system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable.” (Juul 2003)

As this game follows the strict rules of the National football league, it lives up to the requirement of Jesper Juul. Especially to its expectations of having its player’s efforts be an influence to their outcomes and
values which is the the reward aspect of the game when you win. Since the game acts like a virtual game of professional football, the formal system of the the

NFL’s rules and how the game of football madden_androidis played, it is quit obvious that it can be considered to to be a game according to Juul.

Playing all of these games are not for the hell of it, the main goal of it is to successfully play until the Super Bowl. This is the idea of Alexander Gallloway.“A game is an activity defined by rules in which players try to reach some sort of goal”(Galloway 2006, p. 1)
In order to make pass the regular season, playoffs and then super bowl the play must keep winning.

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7 thoughts on “The Power Within The Palm of Your Hands

    • Exactly! your definition of how it is a game is well defined. However, there is not clear indication that this game is considered art. I would even say that it is not art simply because of where you can use it on. Most games that have been considered art in the MoMA are games that are from consoles or PC. I do not believe a handheld game could be considered art. Maybe its Madden series counterpart could be better defined as art and as a game.

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  1. I really grasped your enthusiasm of football when reading your blog, which I liked! Also, I really enjoyed how you applied the gif to your blog. You didn’t just post a gif and leave as is, but you talked about it and its relevance to your blog, definitely not something we all do when writing our blogs. And although you went into depth about Juul and why it qualifies as a game, it would have been nice if I had seen a bit more relevance to what he has to say about games and what others would say if they qualify this as art.

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  2. I really enjoyed your post about this game since it really does not do justice to the madden on consoles. I too have played the mobile version and feel that it lacks the same feel because of the limitations. I admire your fairness about how you do not really feel that this game personally does not feel like one. Though according to Juul it clearly does and most others. On another note I was looking forward to hearing what you had to say about the game being an art piece, maybe you can add to it!

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  3. I agree with you. Thee is no way in which a player can deny Madden being a game. Football itself is a game, so a simulation based on it must also be a game.

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  4. I feel like mobile sports game are way harder to play than sports games on consoles. For me it is easier for me to play with a controller in my hand rather than just a mobile device. The visuals you used were really cool especially the one of Tom Brady after winning this last Super Bowl. Would you rather play Madden on a console or mobile and why?

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