Virtual reality: Local college football players thrilled to be in video game

Electronic Arts started using the iconic catchphrase in 1993: “EA Sports … it’s in the game.”

But now, with the recent release of the new EA Sports College Football 25, the phrase has evolved into “We’re in the game.”

EA stopped producing NCAA games in 2014 after a federal court ruled the NCAA broke federal antitrust laws by not paying players for allowing their images and likenesses to be used.

Now, in the age of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), players receive $600 and a copy of the new game for the console of their choice as compensation.

“It’s a very surreal, full circle feeling,” said Jaden Dolphin, a former Maine West linebacker who tallied 62 total tackles last season for Northern Illinois University.

“I remember doing the high school thing (Road to Glory game mode), picking a school, going to NIU, trying to win a championship there,” said Dolphin on his first time playing an NCAA game in 2011. “It definitely feels crazy to be able to do it again.”

For David Olano, an Illinois kicker who played at Naperville North, being in a video game felt like an unrealistic option, at least in a football game.

“I played soccer three to four years ago and I never thought, in the first place, I’d be playing college football,” Olano said. “In the second place, just to be in a video game.”

“My mom and dad, like me, would have never expected to be where we are today,” Olano said. “To be playing college football and seeing my face and ultimate team card in a video game, it’s a super cool thing.”

Jack Sadowsky V, a linebacker at Iowa State who played for Batavia, and Xander Mueller, a Northwestern linebacker who played for Wheaton North, appreciate the impact the game has on the younger generation of football players.

“It’s just an awesome experience,” said Mueller, the Wildcats’ highest rated player at 87 overall.

“It doesn’t really matter where you start,” Sadowsky said. “It just matters where you finish.

“Maybe if they aren’t the fastest kids, maybe if they aren’t the strongest kids, there’s still hope for them in football,” he said. “It made me so happy to see myself and my character in the game. It’s a super cool feeling.”

In team ratings for the game, Georgia is highest overall at 95. Iowa State finished with an 84. Northwestern and Illinois each received an 80, while Northern Illinois earned a 74.

With recent editions of the Madden NFL video game disappointing some fans, the highly anticipated college football game has lived up to expectations, at least to the ones in the game.

“(Huskie Stadium) looks spot on,” Dolphin said. “That’s one thing that really caught my attention, (stadiums) all look exactly like they do in real life.”

“Jack Trice (Stadium) looks sick,” Sadowsky said. “I love the whole intro and everything. The stadium looks really cool. I think they did a really good job with the graphics.”

According to EA Sports, 2.2 million people purchased the early deluxe version of the game, allowing access on July 15. The worldwide release was July 19.

For the athletes involved, a dream was realized.

“I just remember always going to NIU and trying to bring a championship to NIU because it’s so close to my home,” Dolphin said of his time playing NCAA ‘12. “Now the fact that I’ve gone to NIU in real life and now the game comes out, it’s almost like a movie.”