Throughout its history, EA SPORTS has developed video games to bring the challenge and entertainment of sport to players around the world. This year, through a partnership with VTree LLC, EA SPORTS has developed a game that addresses and entirely different set of challenges, yet for very much the same results – bringing the excitement of sport to gamers with developmental and physical disabilities.

With the EA SPORTS’ football engine that powers the popular Madden NFL and NCAA Football video games at its core, EA SPORTS and VTree, a leading developer of software for the disabled community, partnered to create My Football Game, a CD-based game for the PC that brings the excitement and authenticity of real-life football to players with special needs.

New Audience, New Needs

Through a chance meeting at a tradeshow several years ago, the concept of My Football Game was born with Chuck Bergen, president of VTree, and EA SPORTS’ chief technology officer Rob Moore.  Bergen’s experience building software designs for the 53 million Americans with a disability showed him the opportunity that existed to build an authentic video game that could be used for both entertainment and rehabilitation.  Moore was exploring opportunities to use EA SPORTS’ technologies in other applications.

“Our technology group had been exploring some possibilities for taking the core EA SPORTS gaming engines into other environments, with two goals in mind – products that held up to our quality standards, and an application that helped people,” Moore said.

One of the audiences VTree works with most often is disabled veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.  Often, these servicemen and women grew up playing EA SPORTS games, yet injuries have left them with disabilities that keep them from enjoying games as they did previously.  Yet, in the past, games designed for veterans or others with cognitive of physical disabilities had resulted in overly simple, often rough designs.  Bergen and Moore agreed that wouldn’t cut it, and set out to create a sports game for disabled gamers that would bring the same authenticity of experience that people expect from EA SPORTS, with features and interfaces designed for a special audience.

Moore continued:  “As we started talking with VTree, it was quickly clear that their experience working with disabled gamers had revealed a great opportunity for a sports game to be used for cognitive and physical rehabilitation.  It was a great fit.”

From this, VTree and EA SPORTS began development of My Football Game, which was made available to military veterans at VA facilities and hospitals through the country for the first time earlier this year. Two versions of My Football Game were developed, one for children and one for adults, with each engineered to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities and those recovering from traumatic brain injuries and stroke.

To help understand the needs of disabled veterans, EA SPORTS and VTree visited VA facilities earlier this year and worked with rehab experts to understand how to adapt EA SPORTS football engine for those with developmental and physical disabilities. There was great enthusiasm for the product amongst the experts and patients alike.  In fact, one of the earliest pieces of feedback from disabled veterans playing the games was if teams, with authentic uniforms and logos, could be created for each branch of the military service and special unit such as Seals, Rangers and Special Forces.  Some rivalries never fade – and for that, EA SPORTS was able to develop the teams and add them into the final game.

“It has been exciting to work with the EA SPORTS team to bring sports gaming technology into the special needs communities in a first class manner,” said Bergen at VTree. “The feedback from disabled veterans and the special needs communities so far has been tremendous.”

Inside the Game

The game itself has unique features designed to be adjustable to accommodate the skill levels, reaction time and capabilities of each player.  Game speed is adjustable, and it also aids player's progress through the game by providing immediate feedback on performance and areas for improvement throughout three different levels of play.  A virtual record of the player's achievements – “My Championship Ring” – is created as players are awarded diamonds for the ring with each accomplishment in the game.

For more on My Football Game, check out this great article on AbleGamers.com: http://www.ablegamers.com/game-news/My-Football-Game-And-They-said-it-Could-not-be-Done.html

VTREE’s My Football Game is available in a PC-based format that can be played on any desktop or laptop with a Windows XP or Vista operating system. The game is compatible with any USB XBOX game controller and many USB adaptive devices.  Anyone can buy My Football Game through VTree, at http://www.vtreellc.com/.