Bristol, Conn. ? The line between real and fantasy sports is about to become a little more blurred.

A partnership with ESPN is allowing video game maker Electronic Arts Inc. to dramatically increase real-time content in sports-themed video games.

Starting with this summer’s release of the Madden NFL game, players with a modem high-speed Internet connection can have real-life action directly affect what happens in their video games.

Some hard-core gamers are cheering the innovations, which they say bring video games and real-life sports closer than ever. But critics caution about the idea of merging real life with the fantasy world of video games.

“For many people, that’s going to be very exciting,” said David Walsh, a psychologist and president of the National Institute on Media and the Family. “For some other people it could become addictive and can have the same harmful effects that other addictions have.”

EA Sports said it doesn’t know if the changes will mean price increases for games now costing about $60 for Sony PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Xbox 360 owners.

ESPN signed a 15-year marketing agreement last year with Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts, which reported 2006 revenues of $2.95 billion. Its most popular sports titles include NBA Live, NCAA Baseball and its Madden game, which features broadcaster and former coach John Madden.

Some PS3 and Xbox gamers already receive some ESPN content in their EA games, including podcasts of ESPN radio shows, video highlights and a real-time sports ticker.

“The idea is that someone playing the game won’t have to turn it off or switch to the television to get sports news,” said Raphael Poplock, ESPN’s interactive gaming manager.

Beginning in August, thanks to a deal with The Weather Channel, a Madden ’08 NFL game at the Baltimore Ravens’ stadium automatically will be set in the snow if it happens to be snowing that day on Maryland’s Atlantic coast.

Similar innovations soon will allow an option to incorporate current sports news and statistics from ESPN into the game.

NBA draft hopefuls, from left, Julian Wright, Kevin Durant and Brandan Wright listen to instructions from the director at the Electronic Arts Motion Capture studio Thursday in Burnaby, British Columbia. The trio wore suits outfitted with light sensors and markers that allow EA to capture and implement moves into their newest edition of NBA Live.

“So if a guy in the real world twists his ankle, you can’t use him in the game until he gets back,” said Aaron LaBerge, senior vice president of technology and product development for ESPN.

A baseball star on a hot streak temporarily could become a better hitter in EA Sports’ MLB title, and a Cinderella upset in the NCAA basketball tournament immediately could be reflected in the March Madness video game, he said.

Todd Sitrin, marketing director for Electronic Arts, said the companies hope to turn watching sports into an active, instead of a passive, experience.

“What we’re trying to do is grow that and show to sports fans that there is a way to make this a personal relationship with your sports fandom,” Sitrin said.

Innovations are expected to be phased into games over the next few years, the companies said.

“It’s kind of a moving target,” said EA Sports spokesman David Tinson. “The beauty of this business is that there is a big white board with like a thousand ideas, and every year they try to get in as much as they possibly can.”

The prospect of having statistics, injuries and other information constantly updated has hard-core gamers such as D.J. Mazzola of Belleview, Wash., excited.

“That would be huge, because that affects the team you want to play with,” said Mazzola, who plays in Madden video game tournaments around the nation. “The more realistic they can make it, the better.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Alex Smith, who won two consecutive “Madden Bowl” tournaments against other players, says the games are very popular with athletes, who like to see how they are represented. (Smith thinks the virtual Alex Smith should be a bit faster.)

But they have a long way to go before they can be used by teams as a scouting tool.

Sports video games produced by EA are displayed at a video game store Monday in Manchester, Conn. A partnership with ESPN is allowing the video game maker to dramatically increase real-time content in its sports-themed video games.

“I don’t put much stock into what’s on the game when I’m getting ready to face an opponent on the field,” he said. “I don’t get anything out of it that way.”

The content also is flowing from EA Sports to ESPN. Electronic Arts provides graphics and simulations to ESPN, which the network uses to help explain game situations to fans. EA also runs simulations to help predict the outcome of some sporting events, the companies said.

ESPN.com has a video game link on its Web site, in which users can see what the latest NFL draft picks will look like in their new uniforms, thanks to screen grabs from “Madden” provided by EA.

EA Sports last year launched an Arena Football League game in conjunction with ESPN, which purchased a part ownership and broadcasts the league’s games. John Elway, the former NFL quarterback and now a co-owner of the Colorado Crush of the AFL, said the video game has been great for that sport.

“Everyone wants to get to that young generation,” Elway said. “I think ESPN allows us to do that because of the inroads they have made with the X Games. EA Sports with the things they can do in games allows them to learn about our game while they are playing it.

“I think if we can get them to enjoy playing it, then when they go to watch it, they understand what they are watching, which is a great tool for us, a great grass-roots campaign for us.”