Maddensomnia

VGR: It’s a little past midnight on a Sunday and I’m transfixed by my computer, watching a YouTube video of two complete strangers playing a game that will not come out until late August. It’s a ritual I take part in every year, as the post-E3 Madden NFL video explosion is the Thanksgiving to the release of Madden NFL’s Christmas Day. Surprisingly, I’m not the only one. Not by a long shot. The Madden NFL forum at Operation Sports, a sports-gaming website and messageboard where I found these videos, currently has almost 200 people viewing it.

I look at the clock. It’s 12:15 AM now.