Game Boys: FSU players battle on Madden, but miss popular NCAA video game
As they waited for today's release of the Madden NFL 17 video game, debates raged around the Florida State football program as to who is actually the best Madden player on the team.
There is no back-and-forth, however, about how much the Seminoles' players miss and eagerly await any potential return of the defunct NCAA Football series.
While video games have been popular with college students since their inception, this game was different -- especially for the athletes themselves. No longer did college kids have to wait until they became professional football players to be featured on a game.
And even though their names were not used, being listed as "DT #91" on FSU's roster was more than enough.
"When I was coming in my freshman year, I was kinda hurt," said junior defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, whose wears No. 91. "Really, the year I go to college, I can't play as me? After a while, I was like, 'You know what? That's cool. I'm going to be playing that same old NCAA, time in and time out.
"I'm going to be cool with it. But if there's any chance of bringing it back, I'm going to be a happy little kid."
Despite its immense popularity, the NCAA Football series ended in 2014.
Former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon filed a lawsuit against Electronic Arts, which produced the NCAA series, and it eventually became a class-action suit with more than 24,000 former college basketball and football players reaching a $60 million settlement.
Although the settlement was not reached until March 2016, EA chose to discontinue the game. There was also an NCAA Basketball series, but that was halted in 2010.
"I miss NCAA so bad," said senior defensive end DeMarcus Walker. "I miss it. Life goes on, so I've got to play Madden now."
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Veteran players like Walker and redshirt junior running back Ryan Green are among the few remaining FSU players who could actually play as themselves on the game.
Walker said he was fine with his player power ratings. Green, however, said EA got it wrong on one aspect.
"They kinda messed up my speed," said Green, who was a four-star prospect when he signed with FSU in 2013. "They put me at 77, and I was like, 'What is this?' I think it was because I was a freshman. But it's cool."
Like athletes on every college campus, FSU players have long been fascinated by the game. One early highlight for the 'Noles was when former FSU star Chris Weinke was featured on the cover of the 2002 edition.
As the game grew, so did the need for realism. Users could create players, edit existing ones, start a season or build a dynasty. They could use a juggernaut like Alabama, FSU, Texas or Southern California or create a fictional school to dominate college football for decades.
Eventually, brands like adidas, Nike and Under Armour gave permission so their apparel and logos could be seen on the game. That way, athletes were able to wear certain gloves and shoes. Special uniform combinations were soon added.
Users also could recruit players, going so far as to build a pipeline in certain states and have those battles with a competing program come down to National Signing Day. Marching bands would play the actual fight songs in the background.
"Yeah, I definitely thought it was pretty cool coming out of high school," Green said. "As a kid, you just dream about being on a video game or being on TV. So that was definitely special for me seeing that as a freshman."
NCAA Football existed long enough to be played on Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Nintendo Gamecube, three different PlayStation systems, the first Xbox and its predecessor Xbox 360. The last NCAA game came out right as current systems like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were being created.
So the only way to play the game now is by having a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360. Fortunately for FSU, freshman kicker Ricky Aguayo brought one of those to campus.
"They update the rosters," said redshirt sophomore tight end Ryan Izzo. "They set the polls and everything. It's like a new game -- it's just the graphics and stuff are not as good."
When older video games like NCAA Football reach cult status, a community of fans will sometimes devise online tools to modify or "mod" a game to keep it contemporary.
The most well-known site for updated NCAA Football rosters is found at Operation Sports. Users of the site will communicate small and seemingly insignificant details, such as what a player wears.
So if someone wants to customize Izzo's appearance, for example, they could edit his character to add items like his gloves, towel, cleats and the knee brace on his right leg.
"I think it's pretty good," Izzo said of his digital replica. "Every time I'm on the game, I throw myself the ball about 10 times. I catch the ball well. I run the ball well. So I can't complain."
When FSU's players are looking for the latest graphics and special effects, however, they turn their attention to Madden. On Monday, several players said they were excited about Tuesday's release -- and the battles that would ensue.
"Ro'Derrick [Hoskins] is pretty good," Izzo said of the Seminoles' junior linebacker, who is known to post pictures of his Madden victories on Snapchat. "He beats everybody."
Walker told Warchant that he considers himself to be the best player on the team, and Nnadi gave him and Green a vote of confidence.
"I'd have to say ... DeMarcus," Nnadi said.
But Izzo laughed that off.
"DeMarcus is average," Izzo said. "He talks a lot. I think Ro'Derrick's the best."
Not surprisingly, Green insisted he was actually the top Madden player on the team -- although he suspected Walker would disagree.
And he was right.
"He's never beat me in any game ever since freshman year," Walker said. "So Ryan is incorrect on that."
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