Players hit a different kind of gridiron yesterday for a chance to compete in an international tournament.
Football fans put their skills to the test in the EA Sports Madden NFL Challenge, which saw video game players going head-to-head yesterday.
"The tournament allows you to know how good you are and gives a scale to build on," said Madden fan Mike Iwankow, 25.
Iwankow came in second in last year's Madden regional tournament in Winnipeg and was eager to compete again this year.
"To be the best in a city is quite an accomplishment," said Anthony Francisco, manager of the St. James Best Buy store, where the competition was held.
The latest version of the Madden game features more realistic action, with certain National Football League players having stronger skills than others, said Iwankow.
"It's almost bang-on," he said.
About 40 players had signed up yesterday morning to participate in the Winnipeg tournament, playing the Madden NFL 08 game on Xbox 360 systems.
"They treat it like a real game. They're as fanatical about it as fans at Bombers' games," said James Deighton, one of the tourney's organizers.
PLAYS RELIGIOUSLY
One of the competitors, Clint Armstrong, 31, said the event brought more excitement to the gameplay and he looked forward to competing again next year.
"He plays the game religiously," said Armstrong's sister, Katrina Paquin, who came out to cheer him on.
Other Madden enthusiasts said they enjoy the popular video game series because of their fondness for the NFL.
"I'm a huge football fan and it's the closest you can get (in a video game)," said Nigel Russell, 18, adding he's been playing the game for about five years.
The top three players in Winnipeg walk off with televisions as prizes while the overall winner gets a paid trip to Toronto to compete in the national championship. The winner of that event will be sent to Los Angeles in December for the international final, worth about $100,000 in prizes, said Deighton.