I've talked before about how much I enjoy VR, but never have I talked about why I almost exclusively play racing games. Here is the history and the how and why I love racing.
How I got started
The first racing games I remember playing were on the NES. Games like Rad Racer, RC-Pro Am instantly come to mind. It wasn't until I was a bit older that I realized I had an obsession for racing. It came from the oddest of games: Super Mario Kart.
How did I get obsessed? It's pretty simple. I'd set a fast time trial lap on Mario GP or Ghost Valley and my father would beat it. I'd set another fast lap and he'd beat it again. It finally got to the point where we were eking out laps that were tenths or thousands of a second better. I was hooked, no matter the game I wanted to be the fastest.
I graduated to much more complicated games. The series by Papyrus Design Group were always some of my favorites. From Indycar Racing to Grand Prix Legends to Nascar 2003 and now iRacing. I even found all these classics in a drawer at my parents place.
Why not race a real car?
There is an old saying in racing: >What is the Best Way to Make a Small Fortune in Racing? Start with a large one, and work down from there.
I'd love too, but racing makes a drug addiction look cheap. Maybe one day, but for now real racing is a hobby beyond my means.
But why? What is it about sim-racing?
It's hard to put it into words, but I'll give it a try.
There is a moment when racing where every thing else in the universe disappears. There is no work, stress or anything else to think about. It is zen. All you mind can think about is: brake, turn-in, apex, accelerate.