Influence of Driving games on your actual motoring career ?
Discussion
Ultrafunkula said:
The Gran Turismo series led to me buying a Nissan 200SX in 2004 which I had for a few years (with some mods). Theres still a jap car meet by the stadium I live near in Reading so I still get to see some GT type cars from time to time, reminding me of those days..
Reading Jap Meet is ace. I'm there most months.As for the topic, loads. I was already a car nut but it just fueled my passion further.
HorneyMX5 said:
Ultrafunkula said:
The Gran Turismo series led to me buying a Nissan 200SX in 2004 which I had for a few years (with some mods). Theres still a jap car meet by the stadium I live near in Reading so I still get to see some GT type cars from time to time, reminding me of those days..
Reading Jap Meet is ace. I'm there most months.As for the topic, loads. I was already a car nut but it just fueled my passion further.
I think it taught people a lot, but the one thing I think it got wrong was that modifications always worked, you never melted a piston or really ever broke anything, everything added x bhp reliably, I bet a lot of those who went on to buy a real jap import and mess about with it got some shocks, like going from one of those Sony Robotic dogs to the real thing that then s
ts everywhere, bites you and eats your wallet, "hmm, the Aibo eDog didnt do that" 
For me,
Test Drive 1 and 2 - lots of glitz, nice idea, actually pretty dire
Outrun (Arcades and home)
Lombard RAC Rally, was crap but had a Sierra Cosworth in it.
Stunt Car Racer - Fantastic feel and physicals
Buggy Boy
Super Hang On
RVF Honda
V-Rally - Played that to death
GT1
GT2
GT3 - was totally skint, wanted a PS2 so bad, no money, 3 kids, bills, my wife got everyone to club together to get me one for my birthday and GT3, could have cried !
Various Forzas
GTA
Not bothered much recently though.
Loved cars as a little kid but completely lost interest when I became a teenager. Played Gran Turismo and totally reignited my interest, even though by that point I didn't eve know what the likes of a Skyline even were. We take it for granted now, but when it came out you would expect half a dozen made up cars and the same number of tracks if you were lucky
Great TOTD.
I would say that in the early days those games provided enhancement and exposure to driving, cars, statistics and general fun in an era when the internet was non existent. But the reality was that they were pretty basic, had poor physics and therefore were only really an arcade interpretation.
However, in recent years games like Project Cars and Assetto Corsa, when used with a seat and wheel setup, have genuine real world benefit and uses. I have been an amateur racer for a number of years and I can honestly say that these games have helped improve my circuit knowledge and smoothness/consistency on steering and pedal inputs. Also the use of scenery and objects are now so accurate that you can to improve braking/turn in points, racing lines and even race craft to a certain degree ahead of a race or trackday in real life. Furthermore, the setup aspects are now so true to reality that you can learn a great deal from them for real world situations.
I absolutely applaud the guys developing sim racing and I think it is beginning to open motorsport to a whole new generation of racing fans who previously wouldn't have had the chance or the budget to get involved.
I think Ginetta's latest sponsorship shows genuine buy-in to these new games. http://www.ginetta.com/esports.php
The only downside is getting whooped by 10 year olds !!
I would say that in the early days those games provided enhancement and exposure to driving, cars, statistics and general fun in an era when the internet was non existent. But the reality was that they were pretty basic, had poor physics and therefore were only really an arcade interpretation.
However, in recent years games like Project Cars and Assetto Corsa, when used with a seat and wheel setup, have genuine real world benefit and uses. I have been an amateur racer for a number of years and I can honestly say that these games have helped improve my circuit knowledge and smoothness/consistency on steering and pedal inputs. Also the use of scenery and objects are now so accurate that you can to improve braking/turn in points, racing lines and even race craft to a certain degree ahead of a race or trackday in real life. Furthermore, the setup aspects are now so true to reality that you can learn a great deal from them for real world situations.
I absolutely applaud the guys developing sim racing and I think it is beginning to open motorsport to a whole new generation of racing fans who previously wouldn't have had the chance or the budget to get involved.
I think Ginetta's latest sponsorship shows genuine buy-in to these new games. http://www.ginetta.com/esports.php
The only downside is getting whooped by 10 year olds !!
Edited by AndyWelch on Wednesday 28th September 17:30
Getting a Logitech G25 and subsequently G920 has allowed me to learn heel/toe techniques which I can now use readily and happily in the MX5. I wouldn't have been (and wasn't) quite so happy to simply give it a go in the real world in case it went horribly wrong. Getting braking wrong never did feature highly on my list of things to do in a car!
Before learning to drice, I played forza 3 with a fanatec set up, 3 pedals and a stick, and it meant I had all the hand feet coordination down before getting into the driving instructors car. From my friends experiences I'd say it put me 3 or 4 lessons ahead from the off, obviously this will differ per person.
And not to mention how much those games fueled my love of cars
And not to mention how much those games fueled my love of cars
No influence at all for me. If the PlayStation had come out a couple of years earlier perhaps I'd have been part of the PlayStation generation. My parents were already buying me Performance Car magazine so the R32 Skyline GT-R was already on my radar, but the seeds of my interest had been sewn much much earlier.
Games got some of my school friends into cars, but no more than surfing magazines did! All of those friends are no longer into cars. They were just something that was inter sting from 15-25 and we're now just starting to turn 35.
Games got some of my school friends into cars, but no more than surfing magazines did! All of those friends are no longer into cars. They were just something that was inter sting from 15-25 and we're now just starting to turn 35.
280E said:
I may have been influenced by my Matchbox M3 'Switch-a-Track' Motorway set when I was a lad
Aah - Triang Minic motorway for me and Scalextric - neither influenced car purchases. Our kids are the Playstation generation, but I will freely admit to playing Colin McRae rally with them and winning (mostly) until they started getting good at it.....
I don't know if Gran Turismo has had an enormous effect on my interest in cars. Even before I had a PlayStation I loved cars, but it did expose me to an enormous number of models I'd have never known about otherwise. My cars haven't featured in any Gran Turismo game; they're my own doing. I'd say driving games have had a monumental effect on some of my friends though: plenty are lusting after Skylines and other Japanese performance machinery they may never have given notice to otherwise.
Im part of the playstation generation specially grand tourismo series and led me to the jdm market which I now base part of my living on. Own a import mk1 mx5 and race a kit car based on a mx5 turbocharged of course. Shame its not as easy to improve your car as to buy a package and bang you go quicker doesn't really happen like that in real life.
I was already into car when I got a ps1 but it made my passion bigger by being able to drive abit on a tv all these cars.
I was already into car when I got a ps1 but it made my passion bigger by being able to drive abit on a tv all these cars.
Played gran turismo 2 as a kid back in the day. Made a huge impact especially with JDM tuner cars, this and the first F&F film.
Kid these days might play Forza but i doubt they will aspire to own a Japanese car. that and the fact jdm market haven't produced anything worth buying for many years now.
Shame really.
Kid these days might play Forza but i doubt they will aspire to own a Japanese car. that and the fact jdm market haven't produced anything worth buying for many years now.
Shame really.
VonSenger said:
Brilliant! Made me smile :-)
Yup, me 2 . Just love the enthousiasm of that franchise, flaws and all still a great pass time IMO. Usually wait for a new GT release to buy the PS of the moment and that's all games wise the box ever sees.My first computer driving was with REVS though (C64 -- yes I'm old
). Remember spending hours trying to master the controls, then after hard work, finishing a lap -- until finally winning races. Hours after hours to get there, trying to be as smooth as possible to keep maximum momentum in that underpowered F3 car.
So incredibly difficult! But got there. Very satisfying.
And then my dad told me the fastest way around a track is to actually hit the brakes before corners. There I was trying to master circuit and opponents using engine braking alone
. Braking kills speed so faster means no brakes, right ? After that colossal insight it was easy. Made me think a lot about about the very basics of driving and certainly had an influence once I got my license, some 6 endless seeming years later.
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