I live in a small town outside of Little Rock, Arkansas; basically, Podunk USA.  My town has been growing recently, and we got an EB Games store this past Christmas.  It's nice, but they usually get the new games about one-to-two days after they come out.  Still, not bad for a small-town video game store.

I tell you this so you know the basis of my statement.  The Madden video game franchise has evolved far beyond a mere game.  This franchise is now officially a cultural phenomenon.  It's grown to nationwide tournaments, celebrity showdowns, even a TV show on ESPN.  Something even more amazing; Sony gets nearly 10 percent of its annual revenue on Madden games.  10 percent!!!  And here in Podunk, USA, my EB Games is having a midnight release party for Madden '07.  What's more amazing, I know at least 50 people will be there.  They're holding a community tournament just one week after release!  Many, many other games are better, more developed, more highly produced.  Games like Halo and Mario Bros. are single-handedly responsible for the popularity of XBOX and Nintendo, respectively.  But no game can transcend the American culture like Madden.