Jordan McMahon completed a five-month quest on Saturday to win the Super Bowl on his Madden NFL 2004 video game for Xbox, controlling the New York Giants to a 31-22 championship victory over the Titans. While extremely elated with the achievement, McMahon has not shared it with anyone out of shame over the more than 500 hours he has spent playing the game since he purchased it in late August.

            “I’ve never been so proud of myself for accomplishing something,” said McMahon. “I set a goal back in August that I was going to beat this game on the Pro level before the Super Bowl and I did it. I’m really happy.”

            Yet the 24-year old marketing assistant from Hartford has kept his joy hidden from friends and family, lest they think he is a complete loser – just as he didn’t let anyone know he was playing the game for three to four hours nearly every day for five months.

            “I’ll admit, when I look back at it, some people might not think it’s all that impressive of an accomplishment, winning a video game when your in your mid-20’s,” he said, “and it may not be, but it means a lot to me. And yes, while I could have done lots of things that conventional wisdom would tell you are more productive and valuable – like reading, or taking a class, or working out, or helping a charity or something – not everyone you meet can say they’ve won Madden. The Pro level is quite hard, I think.”

            After pausing for a few seconds, McMahon continues: “Actually, I have to admit it – it is pathetic. My life is kind of a failure up to this point. I’m not meeting my potential. There’s so many things I wanted to do in my life, yet I spend most of my time playing a football video game.”

            McMahon said he may mention his Madden title to his younger brother or to a few co-workers, “but only in passing and there’s no way I’ll show my true emotions about it; they might think I’m weird. But I have to tell someone – I’m just busting at the seams.” And he said he definitely won’t tell his girlfriend. “I convinced her that all of this time that I was taking grad classes. What was I going to say: ‘I can’t see you tonight because I have a big game against the Eagles?’ I don’t think so. She wouldn’t understand.”

            McMahon said that with his goal now accomplished, all the memories he built with his video game team have come rushing back. “It started in training camp mode, went through two seasons on Rookie level and then five on Pro level. I put it all out on the line and got it done. I’ll tell you – it’s kind of bittersweet now that it’s over.”

            The Giants squad that McMahon led throughout the game did not reach the Super Bowl in Pro level until his fourth season, losing on a last-second field goal to the Colts on January 22^nd. “That was a killer,” said McMahon. “I had come so far only to lose right at the end of the season in the Super Bowl. That was, like, four weeks of playing wasted. And that meant I had only nine days then to start a new season and get my team back in the Super Bowl and win it in time to meet my goal. That’s when I really buckled down.”

            Faced with a deadline at work, he was only able to spend an hour or so playing Madden each evening from Monday through Wednesday of last week. “I was only in Week 9 by that time, so I took Thursday and Friday off to get done what I needed to get done – win this friggin’ thing.” His dedication paid off, as he lead the computer Giants to the title on Saturday afternoon. “That was an amazing feeling. Pure elation.”

            With his time now Madden-free, McMahon said he is going to devote himself to meeting some of his non-video game related goals. “I’d like to get in shape and at some point I’ll need to enroll in those grad classes I’m supposed to be taking. And I’d like to get married, so I’m going to have to spend some more time with her. But I truly believe the success I had with Madden can be a springboard to better things. I believe in myself now and if I can be strong enough not to buy the new EA Sports baseball game when it comes out in a month, I’ll have really turned over a leaf to bigger and better things for myself.”