; Gamers Who Refuse to Play the Popular Video-Game Franchise

Summary

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For the legion of control-pad jockeys who have made "Madden NFL" both an annual best-seller and a pop-culture phenomenon, Tuesday's arrival of the franchise's newest iteration had the makings of an unofficial national holiday: late-Monday-night purchasing lines outside electronics stores, a surge in online excitement and competitive trash talk, and a rash of dubious sick-day call-ins to work.

Now in its 23rd year, the "Madden" football video game has become nearly as much of a national obsession as the sport it simulates, with cumulative sales exceeding 70 million copies, a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a branded ESPN television series and numerous NFL players among the title's devoted followers. Nevertheless, within the gaming community, there are hundreds - maybe thousands - of dissidents, united by a rejection of all things "Madden NFL."

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Extract

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; Gamers Who Refuse to Play the Popular Video-Game Franchise

"I didn't even know the game was coming out this week," said Anthony Orenga, a 25-year-old software developer from Madison, Wis.

Within the fast-evolving, "New-New-Thing" worlds of pop culture and consumer electronics, such recalcitrance is downright bizarre.

Do movie buffs cling to VHS players? When was the last time you saw a Walkman at the gym?

"It's like the guy walking around with a big old Gordon Gekko cell...

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