Football card game packs a punch
May 26, 2005
St. Catharines Standard
Baron Bedesky (Collectibles)
There is no arguing the fact sports fans are passionate. For many, that passion extends beyond the day-to-day exploits of their favourite teams and players.
That’s why collecting sports cards and memorabilia became so popular. That passion has also led to the development of office pools, fantasy leagues, video games and simulated “tabletop” games that re-create the action by using dice and charts.
Late this summer, a new simulated sports game is scheduled to hit the market and it is safe to say it is unlike any other. The name of the game is Card Football and it is the brainchild of 23-year-old Toronto native Michael Levitt and former St. Catharines resident and Brock University alumni Fabio Del Rio, 29.
Card Football utilizes playing cards and “poker-style game chips” in an easy-to-use format allowing players of all ages to stage their own simulated football game. The game is a snap to learn and can be played by one to four players. If you understand the concept of the card games War and Poker, and you can follow a NFL game on TV, then you will enjoy Card Football.
While the game is simple to learn, it still takes plenty of strategy to succeed. That’s what makes it so intoxicating for football fans and game enthusiasts of all ages.
“The simplicity of Card Football was the result of a grueling amount of trial and error,” says Levitt who admits to playing thousands of games during the development process, “but we are all quick to say we nailed it. We want our games be easy to learn but hard to master, and that was the hardest part of development.”
“Finding the balance between realistic results and ease of use has been our biggest challenge,” adds Del Rio. “We strongly believe our results such as final scores, possessions, total yardage, number of turnovers, and the number of penalties are more realistic and accurate than any NFL video game on the market.”
Capitalizing on the recent popularity of the poker “market” has also successfully drawn attention from everyone from licensors to distributors and gaming enthusiasts.
“The popularity of collectible card games, and classic card games like poker, as well as football in general make this an optimal time to release this product,” says Del Rio. “We’ve had several industry experts tell us this is the type of product everyone’s been looking for.”
Card Football is based on using a deck of playing cards and each player begins with a “hand” of five cards. Opponents each lay a card down and whoever lays the highest card “wins” that play. For example, a king beats a queen and players follow the game instructions on each winning card. Then each person draws a new card to constantly keep their hand at five cards. Players can also try to build a strong poker hand during the game in order to create more effective results.
Additional strategy can be added through the use of poker chips featuring team logos and even individual players. Del Rio says the key to enjoying the game is based on a player controlling his own destiny.
“The fundamentals of the game are based on how you play your cards,” he explains, “and not on the rolling of dice. That makes the game much more strategic than any other sports game you’ll find in the present or the past.”
“There aren’t a lot of pro craps players,” adds Levitt. “A game about sports can only be accurate with both luck and strategy. There’s no skill to rolling dice. These are real sports played with cards and every product in our Card Sports lineup is as intense as any other game out there.”
Plans eventually call for versions of Card Hockey, Card Baseball and Card Basketball to hit the market as well. To say Levitt is confident and enthusiastic about his product is an understatement.
“There has never been more room in the market for a game like ours.”
For more details, check the company web site at www.csegames.com.