Every week, I try to provide something even remotely interesting to read in the Webcomic Wrapup. Sometimes the body of these posts are entertaining, and sometimes (read: often) they aren't. The problem here is that I'm fresh out of ideas. That's why my topic this week will interest roughly four of you: skill ratings in sports games.

It's no surprise that as a crazy football fan and member of a 32-team online league, I play Madden NFL 13 regularly. In a gaming community atmosphere like an online league, players tend to gather around and talk trades, pitting their linebackers and safeties against one another using dozens of skill ratings from the game. Simulation-style sports games all have these ratings, some of which have little tangible meaning due to essentially being legacy code carried through the years of a series' development.

The fascinating thing for me is just how little most people understand these ratings. Even tips videos produced by EA Sports Game Changers and partners are often based on pure observations, not the development team themselves. Madden "Ratings Czar" Donny Moore has said little about the mysterious skill ratings and how some of the more vague ones actually affect the actions of players on the field, such as the awareness rating.

The result, in a community and league-style environment, is almost more exciting when players put their trust in their own observations about skill ratings, especially when wheeling and dealing to improve their team. If you're still awake after these boring few paragraphs, be sure to check out last week's webcomics and vote for your favorite after the break!

Gaming, Through Life (Dorkly)
Closing the Woop (Manly Guys Doing Manly Things)
Chomp (Legacy Control)
Gyroism (Penny Arcade)
The Very Best (Virtual Shackles)
Accepting who you are (Extra Life)Continue reading Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is overrated
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is overrated originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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