“Back to The Future” Football

Game figures are very desirable collectibles. But apparently it’s all in the base! As the electric playing field vibrates, it’s the customizable bases which control speed and movement. The big gold statute is of course the quarterback. Game rules promote as much realism as possible allowing for forward passes, stops and starts to adjust formations, etc.

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Sports fans my wonder if it’s really necessary to have a scheduled break between the end of the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl in early February. While the league continued to set aside the “bye week” for its annual all- star Pro Bowl event in Hawaii, a crowd of devoted fans gathered at the Embassy Suites Philadelphia Airport for their own unique, but highly competitive “virtual” gridiron experience. The action at the TudorCON 14 Electric Football World Championships and Convention may at times remind onlookers of a chess tournament dressed out in pro player jerseys, but the dedication and intensity equal that of big time football!

I got one of those “vibrating action” football games for Christmas during the 70s. Mine was manufactured by Coleco, Inc. who also marketed actual on-field football equipment and Bobby Hull table-top hockey (another one of my childhood favorites). Eventually, as a young adult, I became interested in Colecovision, one of the earliest cartridge-based console systems and an alternative to the more well-known Atari. These days, those early game titles exist as mobile apps, ROM files, and, of course, as vintage legacy products available via Ebay.

Meanwhile, the Tudor Games company seems to operate successfully in a market dominated by more sophisticated ever-evolving hi-tech console systems such as Madden Football, NHL 14, FIFA Soccer 14, etc. What sets Tudor Games apart from other 21st century game manufacturers is the ability to support a product line possessing an almost retro “steampunk” charm, with attractive, colorful e-commerce website marketing, plus community-nurturing social networking components. TudorCON 14 awarded trophies in both juvenile and adult competitions. For families, the atmosphere felt similar to that of pinewood soap box derby or camp competition events. Of course, many adult attendees chose to approach the event as a “virtual tailgate party weekend”.

National Electric Football League (NEFL) active participation was a big feature of the weekend. The “chat” section of the Tudor company website furnishes leagues like the NEFL with tools for members and league leaders to communicate with one another, schedule whole seasons, plan support events, etc.

And so, a week before America’s biggest pro sports event, it was all the player/coaches of TudorCON 14 gathered in Philadelphia, gameface-focused on “back to the future” football.

 

The TudorCON version of the “Vince Lombardi Trophy”, perhaps?

Player/coaches rockin’ their NFL & NCAA jerseys.