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Madden 13 Infinity Engine – “No Two Tackles Are Alike” and Other Remarks For a Hopeful Public

EA Sports’ Victor Lugo was recently interviewed by ESPN. While this interview gives a lot of interesting details, it does leave us to wonder whether or not Madden 13 is going to be nearly as amazing as the developers are pushing us to believe it will or should be.

We are still of the opinion that real-time physics without real-time injuries is a lackluster feature. What is your take?

CowboysInfinity — No two tackles look alike? Sounds like a time to place bets.

Check message boards, tweets or sports gamer chatter from around the Web and all you’ll hear are the same complaints: “Madden” is nothing but a roster update every year, and “NFL 2K5” is still better.

“Everyone loves the underdog, and I think that’s where a lot of it comes from,” “Madden 13” producer Victor Lugo says when confronted with the complaints, admitting that the design team is all too familiar with them (especially the comparisons to “2K”).

But to Lugo, everything is about to change once gamers see the new real-time physics engine he helped develop. In “Madden 13,” no two tackles look alike, and the physics affect everything on the field, from the ability of running backs to roll off of a downed tackler and keep running to the way a receiver gets hit midair and helicopters his way back down to the turf.

“To not have an element that another game has gives people the right to complain, but I think at this point we have a lot of stuff that our competitors have had, and right now, we’re just concentrating on expanding ‘Madden’ and making the best simulation football we can,” Lugo adds. “It doesn’t really bother me too much what other people say, because we have brought a lot of the community guys in, guys who have been notoriously hard on our game for years, and they were really, really enjoying the game and how the Infinity Engine turned out.”
ESPN Playbook: Only a select few have gotten their hands on “Madden 13” so far, so for people reading this article, how would you explain the Infinity Engine and how it completely changes the game from “Madden 12” to “Madden 13”?

Lugo: “Madden 12” used a pretty interesting system. The collision system was more of your old-school collision volume around the character, and when the collision volumes intersected, an animation played out. Now, because of the Infinity Engine, you see a lot of variety in our hits because it’s not based around one collision box around a character, it’s based on individual limbs and individual muscle strengths and tensions throughout the whole character. Because of that, you see a lot more variety, and you see a lot more impact. It’s so different from last year’s game that now, when you’re playing, you can no longer recognize the outcome before it happens. The variety of interaction is what people want.

The way tacklers bounce off of running backs like Frank Gore, and the ability to spin receivers in the air with a vicious hit is pretty sweet. What else can gamers expect to see?

Because we factor in momentum and weight and we also factor in tensions based on what they’re doing, you’re going to see so much variety. You’ll see Frank Gore run over a lot of people this year. By the way, we went to college at the exact same time at The U, so I use him all the time to run people over and he’s featured in all of our videos. You’ll also see a lot of great stuff when receivers are up in the air. We set the tensions up so you don’t have a leg to stand on when you’re in the air, so that leads to all of the spins. There are all these immersive interactions that you just wouldn’t see in the past. You may be going to the ground, fall on somebody else and regain your balance and keep going. I can’t even anticipate for people what is going to happen because there is so much going on. It looks awesome, especially when you’re up in the air.

What’s your favorite sequence that you’ve seen in “Madden 13” so far that you’ve never seen in “Madden” before?

My favorite sequence so far was a short goal-line play from about 3 yards out. I ran up the middle, but I get hit and it looks like I’m stopped right at the goal line. But the guy hit me in the direction of the end zone and I end up rolling on an opposing teammate’s helmet, and I roll right into the end zone for the touchdown. In the past, I would’ve just hit the ground and that would’ve been the end of it, but I just rolled right off of this dude’s head to score. It was fantastic.

How about the Kinect controls in “Madden”? I know a lot of time, the hard-core community hears about Kinect being added to a game and they immediately start rolling their eyes. How have you guys made the voice commands an essential part of playing the game this year?
We had a couple of different goals in mind when it came to “Madden” and Kinect, and none of them involved forcing something cheesy or inappropriate to “Madden” in the game. We want to emulate what you see in real life, and that chatter is a big part of football on the field. A lot of our team has played football. I played football growing up and in high school, and chatter is a big part of playing, so we wanted to give people the ability to talk to their team and call out the audibles like you would in an NFL game. As a second goal, we want to make it easy for beginners to use it, so we put UI (user interface) on the screen to guide you toward what you can do and puts you in appropriate situations in context of the play. For hard-core people, we give you the ability to use both the controller and your voice in order to get that extra command in. A lot of the real hard-core players, and a lot of our really good players are taking advantage of the Kinect in order to do some of the commands that in the past have taken a lot of button commands or have been tough to get through before the ball is snapped, especially on defense. Trying to call man coverage on a specific receiver, for instance, takes a lot of steps, and with the buttons, you’re not going to get more than one of those before the ball is snapped. But with the voice commands, they’re able to get a couple of these commands in as well as adjust the line with the controller. People have been really enjoying it, and we’ve had some people who didn’t think they were going to like it at all now telling us they have to go buy a Kinect, so that’s great to hear.

How do the Kinect controls work with two players or with other people in the room? Can I just start shouting out player names and routes to throw my buddy off?

[Laughs.] Yeah, you’re going to need to tell your little brother to shut up, especially if he’s in the background. This year, we support the Kinect with single player, and with head-to-head online. What we decided to do with online is, you can talk and have a conversation all throughout the play and through play call, but then once you line up we mute you out for that 20 seconds before you snap the ball so you don’t hear what the other person is saying, and it also defends against you yelling hike through and having it get picked up through their surround sound speakers. We eliminate all of the trolling that way, but like I said there’s nothing you can do to defend against your brother. You’ll just need to find a way to shut him up.

People talk about the greatest “Madden” games of all time, and “Madden 2004” with Vick and all the offense and “Madden 2005” with the addition of the Hit Stick always seem to come up. With the addition of the Infinity Engine, where do you think “Madden 13” will go down on that list?

I think this is a revolutionary year for “Madden” both in gameplay and on the career side. In both cases, we’ve added something that is going to make the game bigger than it has ever been. With the physics, the Infinity Engine is something that we’re going to use moving forward forever. This is a fundamental change to gameplay that you will see forever, so this is a monumental year. This will go down in history, alongside some of those other games like 2004, because it’s a game that is bringing fundamental changes. You’re not going to forget “Madden 13.”

Madden 13 – Top 10 Running Backs

Once again, EA Sports has released their list of the Top 10 ‘skill’ position players – this time it is the Running Backs.

Even with a torn knee ligament – Adrian Peterson is towards the top of Madden’s HB list.

#1 Maurice Jones-Drew – 97 Overall
#2 Adrian Peterson – 97 Overall
#3 Arian Foster – 96 Overall
#4 LeSean McCoy – 95 Overall
#5 Ray Rice – 95 Overall
#6 Matt Forte – 93 Overall
#7 Frank Gore – 92 Overall
#8 Steven Jackson – 92 Overall
#9 Jamaal Charles – 91 Overall
#10 Michael Turner – 91 Overall

When looking at this list, keep in mind a few different facts (as you should for every player and position in Madden) –

Ratings are subjective and based upon the opinion of EA’s Donny Moore
Ratings are super-subjective as there is now input from the fanbase on Madden’s Facebook page
The Overall rating is one of the worst barometers for measuring how ‘good’ a player is in Madden
Depending on how you play the game, you will be able to make anyone into a superstar

One of the main issues with the ratings in Madden is the fact that one of the top running backs in the league (Chris Johnson of the Titans) isn’t in the Top 10. He had a poor year in 2011, sure. On the other hand, he didn’t suffer any injury that would make him actually lose out on how good he is/could be. On the other hand, players like Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles both suffered terrible injuries to their knees and are still rated as Top 10 Players.

It can be argued both ways, but Madden’s newest direction for rating players through a community vote for a few specific ratings is one of the more laughable developments in their new marketing direction. Hopefully they open up player edits for Connected Careers with a title update. If not, it looks like Madden 13 will be one of those games that makes you tilt your head to the side and wonder what the heck they are thinking with their ratings.

Why We Say “Overall” is the Worst Rating

Outside of the fact that it blows a player up to be the ‘best’ in the game, it is a rating that is comprised of a formula that brings into account the different skills that are necessary for each given position. There are also ratings that have no effect on gameplay (Awareness) and then there are ratings that should play a greater role that don’t at all – such as Injury and Toughness. A durable player is one of the more valuable assets in football, no matter which level you are playing. Yet, in Madden and NCAA these ratings mean nothing when it comes to the Overall value of each player?

A player’s value should also be dictated in career modes by their production. Notice, we didn’t say their ‘Overall’ rating, rather their ‘Value’ which is also a rating that doesn’t matter or in this case – exist. A player might not be the most physically talented or even have a dominating presence on the field but if they consistently lead their team to a Super Bowl or maybe even lead the league statistically chances are good that they will either demand or command a big pay raise and more respect as a player. A prime example of a player like this is Joe Montana.

Joe Montana wouldn’t be in our subjective Top 10 for throwing power or speed, but he would have a high rating for Toughness, Throwing Accuracy for short and medium range passes, etc. He was a super-skinny player that wasn’t a physical specimen like Cam Newton but he was a winner and arguably the best Quarterback of all time (again, our subjective opinion).

How do you feel about ratings? Are we blowing this out of proportion or is this getting downright silly to you too?

Madden 13 – Connected Careers Might Make Madden 13 Worth A Purchase

Just in case you are still on the fence about whether or not to buy Madden 13, you should consider it one of the safer sports titles to bet on this year. The problem that most people face when it comes to buying a sports game is that they are usually just a roster update with some sort of half-cocked mode enhancement like ‘Mascot Mode’ (see NCAA Football). Madden 13’s Connected Careers could be the mode that finally turns the game into a new direction… maybe even the right one.

When you retire as a real player (Tebow or RG3) they won’t be out of the league you will just not control them anymore.

A Brief History

While Madden has a tendency to suffer from playing like a glorified arcade game in the guise of a simulation football title, it also has the benefit of consistency in gameplay. In other words – we usually know what to expect when it comes to Madden and how it will play. Player movement is something that hasn’t really changed in Madden since the PS2/XBox generation – especially when compared to titles that were competing with Madden. On the flipside – Career modes have suffered in Madden for years.

Madden 12 saw one of the biggest jumps in quality of Franchise Mode since Madden 05 (arguably the best Madden to date). This mode still lacked any real sort of ‘stand-alone’ quality that would keep the end-user from wanting to take control of editing players or simply controlling all 32 teams in order to make the mode feel more organic – ironic, but true.

A New Hope

Connected Careers is designed to bring Franchise Mode and Superstar Mode (where you control a specific player) together as one. You will be able to control a player or a team (as the Coach). Some gamers are going to relish the chance to play as a specific player. However, the real depth is going to come from being a Coach.

One of the more annoying parts of Madden 11 and 12’s Franchise Mode was the concept of ‘Potential’ ratings for players. What made this so frustrating was that you could take a player like Derek Anderson and make him into (statistically) the best QB in the league but his OVR (and therefore, his value) would not increase. Imagine Kurt Warner winning the Super Bowl with the Rams but never considered to be ‘great’ – that is what the potential rating did to Franchise Mode… it took away the feel that your players were any good unless they had a great potential rating.

This year, Potential Rating is gone. You have to earn XP for each player like in a Role Playing Game. So, if you want to make Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson your starting QB and develop them into a 99 OVR player – you can. The crux… you have to earn it. There are going to be some fun developments when people start making Connected Careers ‘their own’.

What To Watch For

As Madden 13 gets closer, there will be more details coming out of the woodwork. The real details that people will notice are the glitches in the game after it comes out. There are bound to be some things that happen in Madden 13 that make people cry foul and say that the game is broken. It happens every year and this year won’t be any different – Madden 13 will have some things that need to be patched (fixed via an update).

Connected Careers will probably have some things that need to be tweaked and the one thing to hope for is that when these issues pop up you won’t have to restart your CCM. Keep your eyes and ears open, your hopes up and you expectations grounded. Madden 13 is almost here.

Madden 13’s Subjective Quarterback Ratings Released –

EA Sports and Madden 13’s marketing department have fans voting on Facebook for the “Top Players” at each position with a few votes for other ‘key’ ratings.

No surprise, Aaron Rodgers is 99 OVR… Who are we kidding? – the only important rating is RG3’s 93 SPD rating.

However, if you are interested in the ratings from the horse’s mouth – hit up EA Sports for all the details!

TEAM	First Name	Last Name	Overall	Speed	Awareness	Throw Power	Deep Accuracy
Packers	Aaron	Rodgers	99	80	95	97	94
Patriots	Tom	Brady	98	58	99	96	88
Saints	Drew	Brees	98	65	98	89	84
Giants	Eli	Manning	97	65	95	90	96
Steelers	Ben	Roethlisberger	95	70	93	94	86
Broncos	Peyton	Manning	93	60	99	90	82
Chargers	Philip	Rivers	92	63	91	88	87
Lions	Matthew	Stafford	91	70	79	99	89
Cowboys	Tony	Romo	90	73	86	90	90
Eagles	Michael	Vick	89	90	76	97	84
Falcons	Matt	Ryan	89	65	89	89	71
Panthers	Cam	Newton	89	85	74	97	75
Texans	Matt	Schaub	89	62	88	88	78
Ravens	Joe	Flacco	88	73	86	95	77
Bears	Jay	Cutler	87	71	78	98	77
Titans	Matt	Hasselbeck	85	67	87	86	72
Colts	Andrew	Luck	84	82	60	92	81
Raiders	Carson	Palmer	84	54	85	93	84
Bengals	Andy	Dalton	83	66	77	86	81
Niners	Alex	Smith	83	78	81	87	74
Redskins	Robert	Griffin III	83	93	58	95	88
Bills	Ryan	Fitzpatrick	82	75	86	82	68
Bucs	Josh	Freeman	82	74	70	97	85
Chiefs	Matt	Cassel	80	69	80	85	67
Cowboys	Kyle	Orton	80	64	79	84	72
Jets	Mark	Sanchez	80	69	74	88	71
Rams	Sam	Bradford	80	73	72	88	71
Bears	Jason	Campbell	79	70	70	91	75
Seahawks	Matt	Flynn	79	76	75	82	72
Dolphins	Matt	Moore	78	69	76	86	68
Dolphins	David	Garrard	77	75	75	89	71
Jets	Tim	Tebow	77	81	78	87	80
Seahawks	Tarvaris	Jackson	77	83	72	95	73
Lions	Shaun	Hill	76	69	79	79	65
Bills	Vince	Young	75	85	67	89	70
Browns	Colt	McCoy	75	74	74	81	63
Cardinals	Kevin	Kolb	75	73	71	87	68
Jaguars	Chad	Henne	75	68	68	93	75
Redskins	Rex	Grossman	75	60	75	90	74
Steelers	Byron	Leftwich	75	54	73	93	70
Steelers	Charlie	Batch	75	53	83	82	66
Titans	Jake	Locker	75	83	54	95	79
Vikings	Christian	Ponder	75	75	66	84	65
Browns	Brandon	Weeden	74	64	56	93	84
Cardinals	John	Skelton	74	72	67	96	77
Dolphins	Ryan	Tannehill	74	83	45	90	75
Jaguars	Blaine	Gabbert	74	75	64	90	67
Texans	T.J.	Yates	74	61	67	86	76
Bengals	Bruce	Gradkowski	73	70	72	78	60
Browns	Seneca	Wallace	73	84	74	79	70
Chargers	Charlie	Whitehurst	73	65	68	88	70
Falcons	Chris	Redman	73	56	82	77	55
Panthers	Derek	Anderson	73	56	70	95	74
Patriots	Brian	Hoyer	73	65	75	87	66
Raiders	Matt	Leinart	73	54	69	83	65
Chiefs	Brady	Quinn	72	71	66	86	67
Eagles	Mike	Kafka	72	63	66	84	59
Patriots	Ryan	Mallett	72	51	45	98	73
Rams	Kellen	Clemens	72	66	69	88	72
Redskins	Kirk	Cousins	72	62	56	84	63
Giants	David	Carr	71	67	71	88	74
Steelers	Troy	Smith	71	83	65	87	69
Bears	Josh	McCown	70	77	71	78	66
Bucs	Dan	Orlovsky	70	65	70	79	65
Colts	Drew	Stanton	70	70	68	86	73
Eagles	Trent	Edwards	70	63	72	82	54
Niners	Colin	Kaepernick	70	85	46	92	74
Niners	Josh	Johnson	70	88	63	89	68
Saints	Luke	McCown	70	74	70	85	69
Saints	Chase	Daniel	70	69	66	83	60
Seahawks	Russell	Wilson	70	83	54	91	63
Vikings	Sage	Rosenfels	70	62	62	85	62
Texans	John	Beck	70	65	74	77	55
Bills	Tyler	Thigpen	69	75	62	82	66
Broncos	Adam	Weber	69	78	61	83	74
Broncos	Brock	Osweiler	69	69	39	96	83
Broncos	Caleb	Hanie	68	69	69	83	66
Lions	Kellen	Moore	68	56	59	75	62
Panthers	Jimmy	Clausen	68	57	57	88	72
Ravens	Curtis	Painter	68	65	65	86	63
Ravens	Tyrod	Taylor	67	87	52	92	66
Vikings	Joe	Webb	67	87	63	89	69
Cardinals	Richard	Bartel	66	65	58	87	68
Cowboys	Stephen	McGee	66	75	57	83	65
Jets	Greg	McElroy	66	64	57	78	67
Packers	Graham	Harrell	66	56	68	78	50
Rams	Tom	Brandstater	66	61	59	82	62
Saints	Sean	Canfield	66	64	53	82	52
Cardinals	Ryan	Lindley	65	56	49	93	78
Chiefs	Ricky	Stanzi	65	62	45	86	65
Eagles	Nick	Foles	65	53	43	92	69
Niners	Scott	Tolzien	65	66	50	82	64
Raiders	Terrelle	Pryor	65	90	40	90	78
Colts	Chandler	Harnish	64	77	47	84	61
Steelers	Jerrod	Johnson	64	75	44	95	72
Texans	Case	Keenum	64	70	53	81	59
Bucs	Brett	Ratliff	63	66	60	83	57
Chargers	Jarrett	Lee	63	71	40	81	59
Falcons	John Parker	Wilson	63	70	66	80	47
Jaguars	Jordan	Palmer	63	52	54	87	66
Redskins	Jonathan	Crompton	63	67	42	94	71
Dolphins	Pat	Devlin	62	68	46	79	57
Rams	Austin	Davis	62	75	35	81	61
Jets	G.J.	Kinne	61	81	44	83	69
Jets	Matt	Simms	61	76	35	87	68
Packers	B.J.	Coleman	61	67	38	93	68
Titans	Rusty	Smith	61	62	44	89	66
Bengals	Zac	Robinson	60	72	43	82	54
Browns	Thaddeus	Lewis	60	65	49	88	64
Cowboys	Rudy	Carpenter	60	67	45	87	54
Seahawks	Josh	Portis	60	84	40	90	73
Falcons	Dominique	Davis	56	84	46	81	55
Giants	Ryan	Perrilloux	55	76	28	95	65

Are You Not Entertained? – Actually… No. – The Downward Spiral of Annual Game Releases

If sports and first person shooter (FPS) Video Games were a ‘Nation’ and I were the President of Sports and FPS Video Games, I would have to say that the State of our Union is weak.

This isn’t coming from the stand-point of the gaming companies like Electronic Arts or Activision (judging by their weakening stocks I would say that they feel the same), but from the aspect of gamers. There are numerous games that have grabbed our attention and held onto it for a few years such as the Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Mass Effect and some others that you might be able to throw out there in the comments section below. However, sports games and some shooter titles are constantly being thrown at us every year during the summer or fall.

What is becoming more evident as we get closer to the end of this generation of consoles (XBox 360, PS3 and Wii) is that sports and shooter games are really coasting along for the last few quarters before they jump into a new fray of next-gen console development (aka – more of your money).

We have recently focused on games like Madden NFL and NCAA Football sense they are the primary Summer Releases for EA Sports. The next game that will get our full attention is Black Ops 2. Call of Duty is a game that is technically released every two years if you want to dive into the fact that it is split between development teams (Infinity Ward and Treyarch). However, the series itself is pretty much the same concept with a few nuances that make each game slightly different.

These games feel disposable at this point. We aren’t in a time period of creative thoughts in entertainment in general. Movies are the same way with sequels and remakes that really aren’t too dissimilar from what annual sports games and FPS games like Call of Duty are doing. The publishers of these games like to sell you on trailers and big budget marketing rather than actually take the time to be creative and take a chance with something new.

If in 2013 there would be an announcement that Madden and Call of Duty would not be released in order to drive creativity and innovation in each series, would you applaud this decision or take it upon yourself to scream in ALL CAPS that it is the worst thing that ever happened to gaming?

NoobTubeTV would applaud this decision but what is your take?

Making Madden Better – Volume 1 – Ending Games

No matter which form of entertainment you choose – gaming, movies or books, if the ending is bad you will consider it either a waste of your time or sit there for a minute wondering if that really is all that happens.

Madden has a few issues in this department and no where is it more noticeable than at the end of a big game. We are starting a new series of videos dedicated to helping make Madden a better experience. These are primarily meant to catch the eyes of developers at Tiburon; however, if you have other suggestions for things we haven’t covered please comment below, send us a message on YouTube or email us at officialnoobtubetv@gmail.com.

Again, the content we provide is meant to be used as constructive criticism in order to improve the game. There is no reason to point fingers or say anything in an unprofessional manner. You will get nowhere fast if you think bashing something or someone will make it or them change.

Keep hitting that F5 key as NoobTubeTV is starting to grow more popular we will be posting more often.

Madden 13 – Ratings Reveal Starts Today

Today we will see where some of the top quarterbacks are rated in Madden 13. The interesting concept behind this year’s ratings is based around the fact that fans will have an impact on how players are rated. SUBJECTIVE MUCH?!

It is a constant battle that Madden gamers and fans of certain teams and players like to take to heart. For more information about the ratings reveal process, check out the video below.

Who gets your votes for Top QB?

My Top Three Are:

99 – Aaron Rodgers – He has great speed and fantastic accuracy to go with a big arm.

98 – Tom Brady – He is the ultimate winner and has arguably the best arm and accuracy combination in the NFL.

96 – Eli Manning – An all around underrated winner is finally elite.

Disagree? Comment below

*Turns out we weren’t too far off!

Here is the list of the top Ten and the ‘Reveal’ video!

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers 99 overall
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots 98 overall
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints 98 overall
4. Eli Manning, New York Giants 97 overall
5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: 95 overall
6. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos: 93 overall
7. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers: 92 overall
8. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: 91 overall
9. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys: 90 overall
10. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles: 89 overall

To Prestige Or Not To Prestige?

When it comes to FPS games, ranking up is one of those things that seems to grab some people in the community by their joy stick and pull them around like parents with kids on a leash. In Call of Duty it is referred to as ‘Prestiging’ and it also happens to be one of the most annoying bases you will find from verbally abusive gamers looking to put you down.

Why do they choose to put people down in reference to prestige? It is quite simple really. They have theoretically mastered the game in such a way that they are actually better than you. The funny thing is that this doesn’t usually become an issue until you start making them look bad in a game that they want to feel elite through some sort of icon.

How do we best come to a decision when it comes to the all-powerful action of ‘Prestiging’?

The decision to prestige often comes from wanting to add longevity and a sense of purpose to the multi-player aspect of Call of Duty. You get a new icon each time you top out the leveling system (in Modern Warfare 3 it is 80) but in exchange, you lose all guns and other equipment you opened in your gaming process. This is a steep penalty to pay in order to get an icon, but some people find it worthwhile. Outside of the vanity of a new blinging icon and having to re-earn weapons… there isn’t any real practical reason to prestige.

Being one of the few that have chosen not to prestige, it is really quite simple. I play the game to have fun, shoot opponents and make them angry for underestimating me based on my lack of prestige. You get to keep every gun and piece of equipment you earn and in the process you will get a chance to earn camouflage for your favorite weapons.

In the end it really comes down to personal preference. Prestiging in itself doesn’t make any gamer better than any other gamer. In some cases, it does seem to make some gamers rather full of themselves if nothing else. In which case, it is often rather fun to put these people in their place after you calmly show up and own them with your non-prestige Level 80 persona… and politely mute their angry voice.

EA Game Changers – The Gaming Equivalent of Congressmen (With Advice On How To Interact In Your Online Communities)

Over the past couple years we have seen tremendous growth from EA Sports’ Madden Franchise. Some people like to attribute this growing quality to the inclusion of what EA Sports is calling Game Changers from the EA Gaming Community. A few days ago NoobTubeTV covered some of the biggest issues between non-Game Changers and the Game Changers on an interactive level through forums, Twitter, etc.

After scouring message-boards/forums, news and fan sites (many of which are owned by Game Changers) it is evident that they care deeply about the product they have all but devoted their lives to playing. It is impressive to see many of these sites talk about the intricacies and details that are either present or missing from some titles. These dedicated gamers eventually gained such a large audience or member-base that their opinions were held in high regard by EA.

When they first made their trips down to EA to visit the studio and get a first glimpse of the game they were pretty limited in what they got to see. It was all but a finished game and they got to give some feedback but anything else was off the table until at least the next year.

This year, the Game Changers got a few chances to visit EA Sports and watch as the game made it through Alpha and Beta stages. They also got to give input and suggestions. In the process of these visits they aren’t allowed to divulge any information that EA doesn’t give them permission to express to the public.

BlagoCubs — Power (even a little) can make people change for the worst.

This puts Game Changers into a de-facto position of power. For many of them, it is something they take with humility. For others, it seems to be going to their heads and it is starting to leave a sour taste in the minds of many community members. The issue at hand is that many of these valued members of the community are given a ‘a longer leash’ and sometimes no leash at all (especially on their own personal sites). You will find that some (a minority really) of the ‘premier’ community leaders (aka Game Changers) choose to take things personally and/or respond to commoners in a rather snarky fashion that would often equate to a warning or ban from forums. This is a problem that was really bound to happen as it isn’t dissimilar from people voted into political offices of power. They are given power and then they exploit it with little or no recourse to the people they are supposedly representing.

It is important for all of our readers to remember a few things when it comes to taking an active role in the games and game communities in which you are involved. Below are some pointers for how to better represent yourself and your views when taking an active role in forums.

Be Polite and Professional – many sites have TOS (Terms of Service) that spell out how you should act and which types of interaction and comments are allowed.
When In Doubt, DON’T PRESS SEND – If you value your membership in a forum/community and you get angry or annoyed with a fellow member or even the game in general you need to think before you submit some sort of choice words.
Choose Your Words Carefully – It is vital that a member doesn’t call anyone out or put them on blast by pointing fingers. This is often how digital fights of words begin and you better bet on community leaders getting the benefit of the doubt over a common user such as yourself.
Don’t Be A Troll – If your mission is to go and instigate other members of the community, you might as well refrain from registering from the site to begin with… but who are we kidding?… You are probably getting ready to submit a rude comment here on NoobTubeTV. The real problem you will find is that by doing that (on here, at least) your comment will be approved and then it will be responded to in a polite and professional manner – therefore making you look foolish. Again… don’t be a troll.

There Is Some Purity When It Comes To Being A Noob – Never Let It Go

No matter what type of hobby or interest we have taken up at any point – we have always been noobs somewhere along the line. Gaming is no different in this regard and some people like to demonize the idea of having a new player on their team as if it is something that will forever change their online persona. Their Win/Loss ratio or Kill/Death ration might suffer because a teammate is new to the game. That is probably the most common complaint about noobs online.

Outside of the fact that people don’t want to have a noob on their team, there are also those that don’t like how noobs play the game. In some cases like Call of Duty, Halo or any other First Person Shooter (FPS) there are certain ‘tactics’ that frustrate more seasoned players. Some of these are (but not limited to) – camping, using ‘over-powered’ weapons and of-course weapons like the NoobTube.

Then you have games like Madden and NCAA Football that almost completely rely on the all powerful speed rating. All you need are a couple WRs that have 99 SPD matched up against slower defenders and the game is over in the first quarter. Granted, these games are more susceptible to exploits because of game design flaws or simply lacking ability to effectively counter the ‘go deep’ approach. The fact of the matter is that if you are new to a game and you are learning the ropes you should take comfort in knowing that everyone has been there before. But shooter games are really the bigger target for what a noob or the teammate of a noob goes through and Call of Duty games are probably the most popular.

Call of Duty is a blazingly fast game that really revolves around twitchy movements and dedication to learning the nuances of the game itself. Once you learn the basics, it becomes a relatively easy game to play. You aren’t guaranteed to be the best in the world if you play all the time; but like anything else – you will get better.

Which is why one of the biggest problems with non-noobs (especially those in Call of Duty) are some of the worst when it comes to being respectful to new players. The idea of ‘Prestiging’ is something that happened in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Basically, you are able to level up in Call of Duty and obtain new weapons and other equipment as a result of your time invested. Now with Modern Warfare 3 there are 20 levels of prestiging and it has started to give some gamers out there a bit of a superiority complex. They feel that anyone that hasn’t prestiged simply is not as skilled or knowledgeable of the game as they are. Really, all prestiging means is that people have put in more time than others. You can play Call of Duty for 8 hours a day three days a week and reach the top prestige level – even if you are terrible.

The catch is that you will get better because you are playing the game more and more. Don’t think for a moment that because you are new to a game and struggling that you will never get it. The people you are playing against were in that same place at some point or another – stick it out and get better at your favorite games. Just don’t forget that when you get to the point where you aren’t a noob that there are thousands of other gamers out there that are in your old shoes and they need your help and advice… not vulgar language or sophomoric behavior.