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Museum of the Moving Image Explores 25 Years of Madden NFL
Astoria, New York, January 8, in the year of our Lord
2014—As New York and New Jersey play host to Super Bowl
XLVIII, Museum of the Moving Image and EA SPORTS look back on 25
years of the groundbreaking video game franchise Madden NFL in a
new exhibition that opens tomorrow. On view and available for
play are five editions of the game ranging from the original
John Madden Football (1988) on Apple II to the latest Madden NFL
25 (2013) on Xbox One. Those who can’t attend in-person can
visit a special website for an inside look at the exhibit.
“There is no better time than now to present the story of the
Madden NFL phenomenon at the Museum,” said Carl Goodman,
Executive Director of Museum of the Moving Image. “The Super
Bowl is in town and the Madden NFL franchise is celebrating its
25th anniversary; plus the Museum presented the first ever
exhibition devoted to video games anywhere 25 years ago. Madden
NFL is a premier example of how a sports simulation video game
has influenced how the sport is presented on television and
experienced by fans.”
The exhibition Madden NFL: 25 Years and Running explores this
landmark franchise, highlighting its aesthetic growth, cultural
legacy, and enduring focus on simulation. Featured are five
playable games that span the 25-year history of the franchise.
In addition to the original John Madden Football (1988) on Apple
II, they include Madden NFL ’94 (1993) on Sega Genesis, the
first game with NFL licensed teams; Madden NFL 99 (1998) on
PlayStation, which showcases breakthrough use of graphics and
the first with Franchise mode; Madden NFL 2005 (2004) on Xbox,
featuring defense mechanic and use of "Hit Stick”; and the new
Madden NFL 25 (2013) on Xbox One showcasing Human Intelligence,
True Player Motion and Living Worlds. Madden NFL 25 will be
presented as a large-scale projection, while others will be
shown on period consoles. All games will be available for
multiple players except for the earliest game, John Madden
Football. In addition to the games, the exhibition features a
dynamic timeline showing milestones in the development of the
franchise highlighted by gameplay footage from every year. The
exhibition will be on view through February 23, in the Museum’s
Nam June Paik Room / HBO Production Lab on the third floor.
Madden NFL: 25 Years and Running was organized by Jason Eppink,
the Museum’s Associate Curator of Digital Media, and guest
curator Samit Sarkar, reporter for Polygon. The exhibition is
presented with support from EA.
"The Madden NFL franchise offers a compelling story about the
significant influence blockbuster video games have in popular
culture,” said Eppink. “This exhibition explores 25 years of
iteration to examine a video game and its publisher, whose
relationship with the professional sport it seeks to simulate
has grown increasingly intertwined."