anaesthetica's Journal: Collaborative Multiplayer Gaming in Demand

The New York Times features a story in which Shaun Alexander, running back for the Seattle Seahawks, voices his criticism of EA Sports' Madden football series:

"You should be able to make a team and play together with your friends. Like if you have 10 friends, you could all play different positions and be in 10 different houses and play together over the Internet. Or maybe you just have like five people, and you control the skill positions and the program controls the other guys."

Making multiplayer games collaborative rather than competitive seems to be the new trend, following the long dominance of Counter-Strike and the rise of World of Warcraft. EA refused to comment on whether team-based play modes would be included in their next installment, but they have released NFL Head Coach which has greater focus on team-building aspects of sports gaming.