Northwestern receiver A.J. Henning admitted he might have been playing his new game a little too much, but this wasn’t an ordinary video game. This was EA Sports College Football 25 — the first college video game released since 2014.
Henning has fond memories of playing previous iterations of the game after getting it as a Christmas gift. For him, the game left an indelible mark.
“Those are memories that I'll never forget, just like opening up that new game,” Henning told the Sun-Times. “Watching college football was so big for me growing up and just seeing all the players and piecing them together like, ‘This is halfback #1, wide receiver #2,’ but you know who that really is in real life.”
The unnamed players were part of the reason why the game went away for more than a decade. After the dissolution of the licensing contract between Electronic Arts and the NCAA — because of multiple lawsuits, including one by former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon, concerning the use of athletes' name, image and likeness — college athletes were deprived of the opportunity to see themselves in the game until this year.
But since the implementation of NIL in 2021, players can now be compensated for their likeness. That ruling allowed for the return of a college football video game that contains more than 11,000 real-life players. Each player who agreed to be in the game received $600 and a free copy of the game, still not equal compensation considering the game's sales, but more than their predecessors received.
Henning didn't realize he was in an NCAA video game until he was on the main menu, searching for Northwestern.
“If you choose Northwestern, there's a picture of me on the home screen,” Henning said. “That was awesome. I didn't know that was going to be in the game … I kind of started tearing up a little bit.”
Lost in the mourning for the beloved video game franchise was its impact on those fortunate to be in the game. There was a pride that came with being able to be part of the game. Now, a new generation gets to experience the elation of family and friends being able to play as them in the game.
“I'm having an impact on kids from my area,” Northwestern running back Cam Porter told the Sun-Times. “They’re able to see me and picture themselves being on the stage one day. That's what it's really all about; it's about inspiring the younger community.”
The enthusiasm surrounding college football is immense in most areas. Saturday mornings in the fall often begin watching ESPN's "College Gameday" and end with watching a late-night West Coast game. The excitement behind the release of EA Sports College Football 25 is a testament to the hold football has in the zeitgeist.
Henning said he would have been in the game for free but acknowledged that the compensation was a nice touch. He’s an avid gamer: Earlier that day, he played against Illinois receiver Pat Bryant and won, but he still has to finish a game against teammate Xander Mueller.
“Guys are talking about it in the locker room literally every single day,” Porter said.
But Henning gets more gratification from seeing how his little brother, Carson Jefferson, experiences the game. Henning said Carson would go on YouTube and watch content creators play NCAA 14 with updated rosters, searching for Northwestern games to watch. Henning said he gave his brother the code that EA gave him for a free version of the game and that he’s been playing nonstop on 15-minute quarters. It’s a full-circle moment for Henning.
“My mom's telling me, like, ‘He won't get off the game,’” Henning said. “All he wants to do is play as Northwestern. At one point, I was in his shoes, just playing games all day on NCAA. It's cool to have him playing it now.
