Madden Ultimate Team Deserves An “M” Rating

When it comes to Madden Ultimate Team, it’s no secret that I am not a fan of the mode. It’s a cash cow and it makes sense for EA to focus on it but at the same time, it takes away from what Madden should be. EA has the exclusive license to simulation NFL football games. Yet they have continued to disrespect and neglect the only game mode that fits the label of “simulation.” Not only do they neglect franchise mode, they spend their time, effort and resources in developing a new mode that fails to fit the “simulation” description. Yet the biggest issue is that Madden Ultimate Team is at it’s core gambling and preying on the minds of consumers, mainly young children.

Let me paint you a picture. You walk into a casino to play some slot machines. However, there is no age check and no verification when you use your credit card. The money you put in will never be seen again as you only receive a souvenir of some kind. The majority of the time, that souvenir is not worth the money you put in. To make matters worse, that souvenir becomes worth next to nothing in two weeks as new souvenirs are created. To cap it all off, in a year all your souvenirs are worthless as new slot machines and new souvenirs have been created. That is what Madden Ultimate Team is at its core. In gambling the house always wins, Ultimate Team packs are simply that. The cards are worth nothing to EA, they are simply a piece of code. The money that a consumer spends on packs could have been used anywhere for any and all life essentials. Don’t let the fact that players/cards are guaranteed blind you from the fact that this is not only gambling, but underage gambling that is encouraged, promoted and developed by EA Sports.

In addition, there is next to no confirmation process if a credit card is on file. It’s a few simple clicks of a button, how is that ethical? Most children are spending money on their parent’s credit card without their knowledge, it’s insane. There needs to be a more extensive confirmation process, an “M” rating for gambling or the stripping of packs from the game. How does a casino in which it is impossible to earn your money back get an “E” ratings? It’s beyond me and someone needs to do something about it.

Madden Ultimate Team leeches resources and time from the game mode that EA has an exclusive license for. EA works harder on a casino that promotes and encourages underage gambling than on the game mode that both built their game and the game mode they have an exclusive license to. That doesn’t seem ethical at all, an “M” rating for Madden Ultimate Team and Madden as a whole is needed.

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