There's no standard path into sim racing, and we want to hear about your entry point into our niche hobby.
Ask around your favourite sim communities, and you will hear a variety of stories on how people got into the hobby of sim racing.
Depending on your age, you might cite titles like Gran Turismo 1, Grand Prix Legends, GTR2 or Grand Prix 4 as entry points into the sim world. Or perhaps newer titles like Gran Turismo Sport, iRacing or Assetto Corsa.
Each of the aforementioned sims likely offered something different than most of us had tried in a racing title before. Each demanded more of us as players than their contemporary racing games, eschewing the format of simply using a more powerful car to win a race in favour of a requirement for intelligent driving and an understanding of the mechanics and physics of the car.
Many of us were simultaneously humbled and fascinated by the experience in these titles. The humility of knowing that you need to improve as a driver in order to win races is coupled with the fascinating and often addictive nature of knowing that those improvements will be answered with rewards on the virtual track. The onus often shifts from the capabilities of the car to the skillset and knowledge of the driver.
Or perhaps it was the appeal of being immersed into a motorsport series rather than chucking a series of supercars around fantasy circuits. The challenge of trying to match the accomplishments our real world racing heroes is also a common reason to dive into sim racing.
So, what game title brought you into the world of sim racing? What was the first racing sim you played, or the one that sparked a new passion for you? Let us know in the comments.
Ask around your favourite sim communities, and you will hear a variety of stories on how people got into the hobby of sim racing.
Depending on your age, you might cite titles like Gran Turismo 1, Grand Prix Legends, GTR2 or Grand Prix 4 as entry points into the sim world. Or perhaps newer titles like Gran Turismo Sport, iRacing or Assetto Corsa.
Each of the aforementioned sims likely offered something different than most of us had tried in a racing title before. Each demanded more of us as players than their contemporary racing games, eschewing the format of simply using a more powerful car to win a race in favour of a requirement for intelligent driving and an understanding of the mechanics and physics of the car.
Many of us were simultaneously humbled and fascinated by the experience in these titles. The humility of knowing that you need to improve as a driver in order to win races is coupled with the fascinating and often addictive nature of knowing that those improvements will be answered with rewards on the virtual track. The onus often shifts from the capabilities of the car to the skillset and knowledge of the driver.
Or perhaps it was the appeal of being immersed into a motorsport series rather than chucking a series of supercars around fantasy circuits. The challenge of trying to match the accomplishments our real world racing heroes is also a common reason to dive into sim racing.
So, what game title brought you into the world of sim racing? What was the first racing sim you played, or the one that sparked a new passion for you? Let us know in the comments.
