By Tyler Menssen
From the time the item is taken off of the shelf at the store sports fanatics hold a season long love affair with the game of Madden. These players play the game during the day, during the night, and every time in-between. They care for the game like a parent would care for a young child. They cradle it at times and scold it at times. They try their best to cover the bruises and heal the wounds. They show off the game's talents and embrace its flair. They give it attention day in and day out, not a day goes by where their mind doesn't rest on the game. For Madden players there are few things more satisfying than sitting in front of that PC monitor or television screen just playing the game. However, for the first time explorer or the long time gamer there is one thing about Madden that equals playing the game. That thing is the online Madden community. Where people from all ages and pasts come and go for the love of the game, and also for the companionship of each other.
Like all seasons the football season is limited. From the game's release sometime in August until the Pro Bowl in February most Maddenites have an unquenchable thirst for the game on the frozen tundra or the domed turf. In the off-season, however, their glory and passion for the game fades. For many sports fans their passion for sports is contained in the season they are played. After football season ends attention is turned to other sports such as NCAA basketball and NBA basketball. After those, attention is turned to baseball and then finally it comes back to the game on the gridiron. Whether during the season or after, players of Madden football need some place to go and talk about the video game and the real game. Madden players need a place to discuss video game sliders and about which fantasy running back to start the upcoming week. They need a place to chat about other pastimes as well, and where sports are involved there is also the lives we live. Madden players find that place to talk in places such as Madden Planet.
Lost to many and hidden deep in the world of the Internet is a group of people who have come together to form a gem in the Madden universe. From the west coast to the east and even from the land of the Queen people have found a second home at Madden Planet. In its forums you will find a teacher living in England, an accounting major from the west coast, a college student from the land of lakes, and a famed speller from Redskins country. You will find conservatives and liberals, Christians and Atheists, and the completely sane and insane. Madden Planet is a diverse community with many different and unique backgrounds. All people are needed to make a world and all of those people are what make Madden Planet special. It is like mixing different ingredients in a blender and seeing what comes out. What has come out of
MP are moments that most will remember for a lifetime, and enough heat and flames to melt the ice off of the sidewalk on a cold winters eve.
From the utter nonsense to the resourcefully useful
MP has seen its share of debates and Spam. Browse into the Madden sections of the forum and you will find topics on sliders, blocking, running, receiving, and ratings. You will find the questions and answers to almost every problem you have with the game of Madden. Move to the franchise forums and you can read along with fellow members as they sometimes humiliate themselves with their playing abilities, and at other times impress us with their Madden prowess. Read their high quality and interesting articles on how the season is going, and follow them through season after season of trying to reach the ultimate prize. Also included are forums about other games not including Madden. You can discuss games from Halo 2 and Half-Life 2 to the latest installment of the Links and Tiger Woods Golf series. Those forums are filled with great and interesting conversation, but the granddaddy of all forums is the Sports Bar.
If any of you ever find an Internet cafe that sells virtual beer that somehow comes out of a facet from your computer, may you enjoy your time of heaven on earth. Until then, however, the Sports Bar is the closest thing to a real bar any Madden community has to offer. In it you will find the lonely, depressed, socially retarded, and girl obsessing drunks that you are sure to find in any real bar. The best part is, there is no age limit. Some of the discussions in the Sports Bar over the last year have included politics, religion, and girls. All have been very serious and all have been interesting. Also included are the not so serious discussions. We have threads such as the 'say something' thread that as become the most prolific thread possibly in Madden forums history. Which, if you think about it, isn't all that surprising. Where in the world can you find a person who won't say something about the person sitting in front of them or right behind them? The Sports Bar has something for everyone, and sometimes a little too much for everyone, but that is what makes it fun.
Madden is just a name. It is nothing without the content, personality, and brilliance that have formed with the name. The same can be said about the Madden community. Without Madden there would be no community, but without administrators, moderators, and members the community wouldn't exist either. The next time you have an off moment, or are putting the game down for a second, take a trip into the forums of Madden Planet. If you already visit, visit and post more often. We will be happy to hear from you. Madden is a good game, but it has been made great over the years because of the people who spend countless hours trying to keep the Madden community running. People like AndyP. Behind every great legend their stands a side kick. Behind Madden there stands a Madden community. Behind the community there are members who have formed around a sanctuary of intelligence, friends, and understanding. That sanctuary is Madden Planet.
