It’s strange to walk into a Madden tournament held in a basement dominated by Magic: The Gathering posters and Warhammer miniatures, but that’s what I found last night at Get Your Game On. Timothy N. Turner, AKA TNT713, the quarterback of MaddenUniversity.com, hosted Get Your Game On’s first gridiron video game tournament to celebrate the midnight release of Madden 2012. The combatants, fueled by pizza and iced tea, battled for pride, T-shirts and the grand prize, a free copy of the game.

The Madden franchise is based on hard feelings. So much so that it’s the focus of this year’s advertising campaign. Taunting, gloating, chest thumping, collar popping and so, so much whooping. The game is built for this face-to-face experience. It’s so popular that ESPN built a reality show around it called Madden Nation, which ran four seasons from 2005 to 2008 with players battling for a $100,000 grand prize and Madden geek glory. Contestants with nicknames like Sherm Sticky, Da Secret, PG-13 and Young Nephew showed their stick skills while trying not to punch each other in the head (some contestants on the show were eliminated for striking their opponents during games).

Stacks, Black, UMad? and JGross would be the gladiators on this field, but like true Ann Arbor boys they maintained their sportsmanship despite blowout losses and butter-fingered receivers—and no one got punched anywhere. Fortified with greasy pizza, these four faced off in a round-robin-style tournament to determine the top two finishers for the final showdown.

I haven’t played Madden since the 2009 incarnation, when I led the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and retired from football video games. I’ve played in one Madden tournament in my life held at a bar in Evanston, Ill., in 2001. I was knocked out in the first round after a 3-0 defeat to some guy in a Cade McNown jersey but took home a Bears T-shirt for my troubles. These gamers are a lot better than me in my prime. These gentlemen gridders also don’t talk the smack—they’re polite, responding appropriately to good offensive plays and big hits but remaining respectful. Maybe it’s the small crowd and close quarters or maybe it’s the giant demon in the poster on the wall.

Stacks and JGross advance to the final by virtue of point differential, where Stacks chooses the Green Bay Packers and JGross goes with the Atlanta Falcons. They sit on matching metal foldout chairs and the contest begins. The stars of this night are the little electronic men and their little electronic hearts. They slam into each other on the field and sling little electronic Gatorade towels over their shoulders off it while suffering turf-toe injuries, swollen elbows and concussions—all for our entertainment. In the final game alone there are back spasms and a strained Achilles. Madden isn’t for the faint of heart.

Stacks puts the first points on the board in the second quarter, throwing a 49-yard touchdown strike from cyber Aaron Rodgers to cyber Jermichael Finley, making it 7-0. JGross and Atlanta respond with a touchdown pass to cyber Tony Gonzalez with five seconds left in the half, and a successful two-point conversion makes it 8-7. After a scoreless third quarter JGross makes it 15-7, only to have Stacks toss an 81-yard bomb to cyber Greg Jennings and make good on the two-point conversion to tie it up 15-15. JGross, a master hand at Madden, methodically milks the clock and scores to make it 22-15 with just 23 seconds left. Game over in most instances—but not when Stacks is on the sticks.

High drama ensues. Stacks converts on an improbably long pass play to put the ball on the Falcon 23-yard line with three seconds left. Everyone leans closer to the massive TV to watch the final play. Stacks drops back and spots wideout Jordy Nelson streaking across the left side of the field. Rodgers releases and Nelson catches the ball in the end zone and everyone jumps out of their metal seats—but the game’s announcers signal controversy. The camera zooms in as cyber Jordy Nelson looks at the cyber referee in amazement as the zebra calls the pass incomplete and the game concluded. A cyber child in the stands looks at his father and mouths the word, “Why?” but no sound comes out. The father’s eyes fill with tears.

No one in Get Your Game On can believe it either. Except Stacks. Stacks knows what happened. Operator error. Stacks knows that Nelson caught the ball in the end zone just fine and set one of his little feet onto the sacred end zone turf, but Stacks hit the triangle button which made little Jordy Nelson hurdle before the second foot could find purchase. When Nelson hurdled, his second foot landed on the white stripe at the back of the end zone, negating the catch (you need to have both feet touch in-bounds to make a catch). Replays show the folly over and over and over. Everyone is in disbelief, or as much disbelief as you can be for the outcome of a sports video game.

Stacks is gracious in defeat and JGross understated in victory. The two gladiators shake hands and no one gets punched in the head. JGross emerges from the basement, collects his spoils—a copy of Madden 2012 for the Xbox360—and walks into the night a champion.

TNT713 expects many more players at the next Madden tournament at Get Your Game On, scheduled for October 29. He won’t have to compete with all the retailers releasing the game at midnight and school will be well in session by then. JGross will likely return to defend his title against all comers and if so, watch the slant pass. He loves to throw those.

(Richard Retyi writes the bi-weekly-ish column Lie to Your Cats About Santa when he's not blogging at InBedByEleven.com. He likes to write about video games but doesn't get the chance very often. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRetyi or email him at richretyi@gmail.com to say hello.)