In an effort not to leave any niche market out of the video gaming loop, EA Sports introduced this week a new title to hit store next year with a working title called NFL Head Coach. This football sim takes the idea of immersing the gamer into the world of being a NFL coach – from making player cuts to designing plays to wondering if you should’ve had that last Quarter-Pounder with cheese. Alright, I made that last one up but you get the picture. I’m all for playing sims but the idea of a sports sim without the actual playing of the sport seems weird. Plus, if I want to play a game where the object is to micro-manage everything to death, I’ll wait for someone to release “Office Space” on X-Box. But if they made a sim that follows a player outside the game like hitting the clubs, hanging out with your entourage or going out on a Love Cruise with the players from Minnesota, I would be so there.
I actually know a dude who buys Madden every year. He makes trades, manages the salary cap, parking costs, etc. But he simulates all the games. Crazy as it sounds, I think a game like this will find its audience. It won’t cost a lot to make (it won’t be graphics intensive and they don’t have to spend time and money developing a physics engine or anything like that as in normal football games) and if it sells modestly — say 300,000 copies — could proabably turn a profit.