Madden titles to implement concussion system

The Madden series' latest nod to realism will see gamers asked to guard their players from the risk of concussion. Perhaps by getting them involved in table tennis, instead.

Gamasutra reports the next Madden game will prevent players with head injuries from returning to the field, to follow a rule introduced to the NFL in 2009.

The Madden series has slowly moved towards a more realistic and responsible attitude to injuries, shifting away from sensationalist visualisations of major injuries, and including career-end accident scenarios as well as detailed information on risk.

George Atallah of the NFL Players Association praised EA Sports for its efforts to shift thinking on injured players.

"Good for EA Sports. ... Culture change is important."

The latest game in the series, Madden NFL 11, was released for DS, PSP, PS2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, and iDevice in August last year.