Influence of Driving games on your actual motoring career ?

[J4CKO]

Ok, not one for video games section, question is, how much have computer and video games influenced your actual car choices, driving or any other aspect of your motoring career.

I mentioned Porsche Challenge on the PS1 and JT Smith said it was why he is a car designer, now that is a pretty big influence !

I drove my Fiat Coupe turbo in GT before I ever owned the real one,

The GT games opened my eyes to all the weird and wonderful Japanese Domestic Market stuff we know about now, but was an alien world back in the 90s to most of us.

Am sure you have loads

[J4CKO]

Hmm, I have a Mercedes CLS, must actually have been all that time playing "PGA Tour Golf" on my PC in the 90s that influenced that one

[J4CKO]

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 GT was the watershed moment, the tuning, modification and changing settings, buying and owning the cars, being able to choose the colour, it was a prayer answered for car fanatics, especially those who couldn't yet drive or couldnt afford to do it in real life, I was in my first house with two small kids when it came out, money and opportunities to indulge my passion were (and still are to a certain extent) limited by time, space and money so it was a bit of escapism.

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 sts 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.

[J4CKO]

My missus never plays games other than Candy Crush but spent a whole weekend on "DRIVER" trying to get through the car park test, the kids were little and basically were ignored until she did it

A combination of being crap at video games and having the tenacity of a Pit Bull.

[J4CKO]

gazchap said:

Sega Rally is basically responsible for me owning this.

Love it, always think these are criminally undervalued compared to the Escort Cosworth and Integrale, someone will say they arent as involving or something, but look at it, not normally a fan of rally decals but that is fantastic.

[J4CKO]

The Wookie said:

You might say so...

Yeah, remember that but for me the 928 was more about that scene when they smoked it away from the mall in Weird Science.