PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos – EA Sports has been hosting Madden video game tournaments for the past 17 years, dating back to the Sega Genesis days. What started out as a small local series of events that awarded trophies has grown into an annual international Madden Challenge that spans two months, attracts major sponsors like Best Buy and Microsoft Xbox 360, and awards $85,000 in cash and prizes. There are currently 23 finalists playing Madden NFL 09 at the Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos, vying for a first prize package that includes a $25,000 check and a $25,000 Best Buy gift card.

Five years ago, the Madden Challenge spawned "Madden Nation," a reality television series that airs every year on ESPN and awards the best Madden gamer an additional $100,000 prize. Last year, the Madden Challenge Finals in Hawaii became a one-hour special on ESPN 2 that aired on Super Bowl Sunday. The ratings did so well that this year's Madden Challenge Finals will become another one-hour special to air on ESPN2 this February 2 during Super Bowl Sunday.

Glenn Chin, vice president of brand marketing for EA Sports, helped launch the Madden competition 17 years ago. After a four-year stint at Nike, Chin has returned to EA Sports to help strengthen the Madden Challenge and orchestrate additional Challenge competitions across multiple EA Sports franchises like NASCAR, NBA LIVE and NCAA Football. Chin discusses the past, present and future role of EA Sports' video game Challenges and how they strengthen the brand in this exclusive interview.

GameDaily BIZ: How have you seen the Madden Challenge expand over the past 17 years?

Glenn Chin: I started with EA Sports when the brand launched in the early '90s. When we first started doing competitions on the Sega Genesis to what it is now, it's become a mass market, nationwide and international endeavor. The passion is still there from the early days, but the scale of these events today is off the charts. We had over 180,000 online gamers compete on Xbox Live for the two online slots in this year's Madden Challenge. That's in addition to the over 10,000 participants at the 21 regional events around the world.

BIZ: What role do you see these EA Sports Challenges playing today, especially since EA Sports has so many exclusive sports licenses like Madden and the NFL?

GC: Anything that's related to sports, there's going to be a lot of passion and a lot of competition. When we started the brand originally, it was about, "If it's in the game, it's in the game." One of the things that separates EA Sports from a lot of sports brands, certainly in the video game space, is that we make simulations, but nowhere in the rulebook is it going to tell you about competition or how good it feels to win or how bad it feels to lose. I think in everything we do as a brand, we think about that. It has to be realistic to competition and the sport.

BIZ: Where did the Challenge idea come from?

GC: When we're creating competitions, we know anyone who buys the game is going to play with their friends in their neighborhood. And at a certain point, if they're the guy and they're the best players, they need a place to show off their skills. That's where the Challenge originally started and now the scale and [fame], even if you look at money, is massive. You have kids that are making six figures because they have Madden skills.