Few titles have been more popular in the world of video games than the Madden NFL franchise. According to IGN.com, since its inception as “John Madden Football” in 1988, the franchise has sold over 70 million copies. The game has been so popular that it has become a cultural icon. Tournaments are played, NFL players boast (or complain) about their ratings, and customers line up for blocks to buy it on opening day.
It’s interesting how something such as a video game can garner so much attention, considering the fact that parents almost universally try to limit the amount of time kids spend in front of the TV. The circus surrounding the release this year included parties hosted by EA Sports in Las Vegas, where numerous celebrities were present to celebrate the 20th year of Madden.
This year, the Madden franchise is making its mark on the University of Oregon. Paul Swangard, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing program in the Lundquist College of Business, will incorporate the game into the introductory sports business class, “Sports Business and Society.”
“It’s an idea I’ve had for a couple of years now,” Swangard said. “I’ve been in contact with Electronic Arts about trying to use the franchise mode of Madden as a platform to run a simulation of how a NFL team is run.”
That’s right, Mom and Dad. Video games in the classroom, something that parents and adults criticize teens for playing too much, are now going to be utilized as learning tools.
Swangard said he wanted to take something that students were familiar with and incorporate it into the curriculum, with hopes of one day creating a class that is all focused on using the business aspect of the sports games.
“I thought of ways I could make a video game into a teaching tool, and I think we’ve found a good way to present it,” he said.
The plan for this fall is to use a sampling from the SBUS 199 class to pilot his idea, using the Northwest’s only NFL franchise, the Seattle Seahawks, as the model. The selected students will make decisions a NFL team manager would make, ranging from areas such as player salaries and salary cap room, to what kind of amenities the stadium will offer.
They will then simulate 10 years of play to see how their decisions affect the team’s performance.
“Part of the exercise is to compare how real life decisions are played out in the simulation,” Swangard said. “It will be interesting to see if a good decision on paper will reflect in success in the video game.”
And that’s the part of the whole pilot program that could wander from real life. Swangard said it could be possible the computer won’t take into consideration normal business models such as supply and demand.
“It’s quite possible that you could raise ticket prices and demand would go up,” he says. “That’s something you definitely wouldn’t see in practice.”
But that’s part of the learning experience. Even when the simulation goes awry, Swangard can use it as a teaching opportunity to discuss why something wouldn’t be effective in real life.
The ultimate goal for this fall’s class is to determine if a large-scale class would be a good idea. If the simulation proves easy to use and practical for a college class, don’t be surprised to see the University of Oregon start offering a class that is entirely focused on the famous game.
“I’d like to see us expand so that in the future we offer a course in the winter that focuses on the NBA, and MLB in the spring,” Swangard said.
One final part of the proposal focuses on the program becoming a module that the Warsaw Sports Marketing program can develop and install into markets that have professional sports franchises.
“The hope is that we can develop the techniques enough so universities can partner with franchises in their city and run simulations for the teams,” Swangard says.
One highlight of the class will be the guest lecturers. San Francisco 49ers Chief Operating Officer Andy Dolich will be coming to campus, as well as management from the Seahawks.
One thing hopeful students won’t be able to do, though, is actually play the games. Sorry, New England fans, no reliving history and beating the Giants in the Super Bowl.
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