In this Community Spotlight, we sit down with Phil Frazier, former Executive Producer of the Madden NFL series, to explore his journey from passionate gamer to industry veteran. Discover how Phil’s early experiences shaped his understanding of football, the challenges of balancing family life with gaming, and his insights on fostering community engagement in the Madden world.
MaddenUniversity originally published this set of tips to help players of Madden NFL 08. We've updated this article as the game advanced. Look for when each portion of an article was changed to make sure we have the most up to date information.
For this Communities Interview, we spoke to Phil Frazier, who worked for 14 years on the Madden NFL series, spending several years as Executive Producer. We discussed how his Madden passion developed and how life’s time challenges can be overcome to improve gamer experiences. Phil left the EA development team in June 2011, a month before the release of Madden NFL 12, but he remains an important part of Madden lore.
Phil and I met briefly at the EA Football Community Day in Orlando, Florida in May of 2008. From the outset, his passion for the series was unmistakable. He cared deeply about Madden as a simulation product and took pride in the hard work that goes into creating a fun experience. We began by talking about his earliest Madden memories and how his love for Madden and the NFL developed.
Q: This time of year, people are concerned about what's going on with Madden 12, but I'd like to go back and build a little history about how long you've been a Madden fan. How long have you been playing Madden?
Phil Frazier: I think my very first experience with Madden was back with the '93 version on the Genesis days. I think it was a version I played with my dad as I was playing high school football. That is the earliest memory of any experience at all with this franchise.
Q: Were you good at the game?
Phil Frazier: You know, I watched football on television as a kid but I didn't actually start playing football competitively until my freshman year of high school. At the time, which was basically around 1990, I knew the basics of football. But I didn't know a lot about the types of coverage, what the difference was between a strong formation and a weak formation. I knew the basic rules, just not the strategy.
As I got into high school football and as I started playing the game, clearly I learned a lot about football from playing it. As I also started to enjoy it on the Genesis, that's where I learned a lot about strategy as well.
I think my biggest memories were playing with my father, who was a big Madden gamer at the time as well. We would have epic battles where he and I would just go head to head. The series was probably pretty even between the two of us overall. I'd like to think I was good. But I was 14. I think every 14 year old thinks they are pretty good.
These early memories of Madden conjure tender moments tied to both the people and the game we love. The idea of fathers and sons bonding over football is familiar; bonding over Madden is the next logical step, and it’s one Phil enjoyed almost two decades ago. Now that Phil is a father himself, we asked how Madden fits into raising a family and how his personal experiences affect his work on the series.
Q: We're a little older and have different responsibilities. How has family life affected how you play Madden?
Phil Frazier: The biggest challenge is that I just don't have as much time. You know, I'm married now. I've got two children. Of course I have a full-time job where I'm lucky to work on the game that I've loved for so many years, but it still is a full-time job and we work extremely hard doing it.
I think the biggest difference between today and the days of Genesis, are just that I don't have as much time as I used to. It's a lot more effort now to sit down on the couch and dedicate, in some cases, hours and hours to any particular video game let alone Madden.
I think that's why GameFlow last year was a feature that I really enjoyed. Because if I needed to accelerate the game, it was perfect for a guy like me. But at the same time for those that have more time and want that in-depth strategy, they can still have that full Madden experience.
So it's been great. As I've grown through the years and my life has changed for a variety of reasons, we've been able to recognize that a lot of our consumers have that exact same situation and we've been able to, over time, adapt the game to that situation as well so the game can still stay relevant even as times are changing.
Q: Do you find that working on the game has changed the way you play the game at all?
Phil Frazier: Yeah. I'd be lying if I said no. When I first started in the game industry, I was a game tester back in the late 90's. I was still, I would say, a competitive Madden player. I actually started testing NCAA football. At the time I was competing in local tournaments, playing on the PlayStation. I played Madden as well, but I really enjoyed the option game in NCAA football.
As I transitioned from Q/A to production and design, I transitioned back into Madden again. And I think as I've started working in the game in more than just a Q/A capacity, I think I found myself enjoying the game as a football fan more than just a competitor.
When I say that I'm talking specifically about the simulation of the NFL. I wanted to play a game that matched the broadcast. I was a little less interested in playing people competitively for smack-talk or money in some cases. I was more interested in just enjoying the visceral nature of the sport. The fact that it's a chess match. It wasn't about jumping up and down on the couch; it was just about having a good time playing NFL football.
I've transitioned from the hyper-competitive gamer to a guy that really enjoys the NFL and everything it provides. And I want a game that allows me to relive the experience I get to watch on Sundays at my own leisure.
Football is a great sport with many ways to play and win. Not only is Phil part of the Madden development team, he's also a player who faces the same on-field challenges as the rest of us. SIM, Tourney, Freestyle, and Casual are all terms used to characterize both players and their style. We asked Phil, from a player perspective, how he enjoys playing Madden.
Q: Throughout the history of online play specifically, we've heard a lot of words to describe play styles. How would you describe your play style?
Phil Frazier: When I play Madden, I prefer to play what I would call a simulation version of football. I've been online; I've seen people that are sim gamers, tournament players. To me, a simulated version of football is a guy that is more likely to punt it on 4th down. It's a guy that isn't going to run onside kicks just because he knows he can get one half the time.
I prefer a style of play where I have a pretty balanced attack. I don't like throwing the ball on every down. I don't think that's real football. And I'd like to be able to set up a play action pass by running the ball a few times. So my style of game play is one where I like to play football as it's played on Sundays.
And I'd like to apply the same level of thought and strategies that a coach would apply as he's calling the game. I'm not saying I'm a coach, but I'd like to think I can make those types of decisions. And I'd like a game that supports those as well and rewards you for playing the game correctly.
Only a few passionate Madden players, like Phil Frazier, truly understand the work that goes into making Madden; but that doesn’t stop millions of us from enjoying the series. At the time of our conversation, the development team was hard at work to provide another edition of the greatest game on earth in August for a new season of fun. Fortunately, Phil and the team have seen fit to make Madden relevant well into the NFL off-season for many fans who never seem to get enough football.
Madden changes every year, but some things remain the same. As long as there are fans eager for Madden as an NFL simulator, there will be people working to deliver a fun and memorable experience. To celebrate this rich diversity, MaddenUniversity.com's Community Spotlight aims to show our gratitude to Madden players and developers who work tirelessly to enhance the experiences of others.
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