The benchmarks for the upcoming football season start to trickle in during August. Training camps start, the Hall of Fame Game preseason opener is played, and -- maybe the most exciting part -- the new year's "Madden" game drops across all video game platforms.

Finally, the chance to be beaten miserably on Xbox Live by cheating 12-year-olds playing with newly updated rosters and slightly tweaked game controls!

The anticipation makes for a sort-of holiday for the unusual jock/nerd hybrid that makes up the "Madden"-loving public, with pre-orders lovingly placed months in advance, and Walmarts stuffed full of people at 12:01 a.m.

And if it's kind of like a holiday, that leads to an important question: Is it OK to take the day a new "Madden" game comes out off of work?

Could you justify taking the day off of work to play "Madden 11"?
Sure, a new "Madden" game only comes out once a year.267 (37.4%)
No, that's ridiculous. The game will still be there on the weekend.447 (62.6%)


No, That's Really Irresponsible
The angel who lives over our left shoulder insists that days off ought to be saved for really important occasions -- like when you've come down with a case of whooping cough or your friends are going to the lake for one last summer weekend on a Friday afternoon. Spending an entire Tuesday at home in front of the home gaming device of your choice, however, doesn't really stack up on the "totally worth it" meter, when compared to a genuine emergency or a last hurrah.

Imagine if your boss were to find out. Sure, you might have some explaining to do if you play hooky for a day in the sun, but the odds are good that he'll at least have a frame of reference for your decision. But playing a video game that's awfully similar to the one that's been on your shelf for the past year? That's a harder sell.

Totally. Who Cares?
The devil on the right shoulder is usually more fun to listen to, and he says that when you win the Super Bowl in "Madden 11," your team gets to meet Barack Obama.

Also, the season is supposed to take half as much time as it used to, with the new edition's GameFlow play-calling system. If you skip work, your franchise can be well on its way to the playoffs in about eight hours. Plus, we hear the new edition has team fight songs.

Yeah, maybe you should save sick days for when you're actually sick, but think about it like this: You're going to be stuck at work while some fourth grader is playing "Madden 11" just because he's on his summer vacation. Doesn't that make you a little bit sick?

Anyway, isn't part of the point of growing up and becoming an adult having the freedom to say, every once in a while, "Screw it. I would rather stay home and play video games than go to work today!"