This may be the best way to get the message across to youths about the dangers of football and concussions: Say it via a video game.
The newest version of the video game Madden NFL 12 will not only depict players sustaining concussions, it will show them being pulled off the field and benched for the rest of the game, according to a story in The New York Times Sunday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/sports/football/03madden.html?_r=1
The newspaper quotes Hall of Fame coach John Madden, who helped develop the game, as saying that with concussions being such a big issue with football these days, a video game about football must incorporate them.
It will also start teaching kids at an early age that concussions are an injury that must be taken seriously.
The new version of Madden NFL 12 will drop in August.
Even though the issue of brain injury and football has gotten national press coverage during the past year, experts told The Times that the Madden video game will be the best teaching tool for kids on the dangers of concussions.
Madden is also insisting that head-to-head helmet hits and “head shots on defenseless receivers” no longer be depicted in the video game, according to The Times.
Youths, especially boys, are hard to reach with traditional media. So using a video game to teach them that a concussion is as serious an injury as a broken bone or a torn muscle is a great idea.
Print Friendly Version
Save Page as PDF
