I bet you didn't know that IndyCar had a race at Michigan International Speedway this weekend. I also bet you didn't know that I came in second.
Okay, I'll stop insulting your intelligence and stop with the describe-a-video-game-like-it-actually-happened intro that is so common you'd think there is a legal requirement to make it the opening paragraph of any article about video games. That being said, iRacing, the online sim racing service (and iRacing does refer to themselves as a service, not a "game") did have IndyCar races at MIS this week, and I did come in second in one of those races today, and the experience was intense. After leading over half of the race, I was passed on the last lap by the eventual winner. I was so upset my family had to ask if there was anything wrong.
When it comes to racing games, titles like Grand Turismo and Forza are probably the most familiar. To be fair, these games do make an attempt to model real world physics (to all of you sim racing fans yelling at your computer right now, please hold on to your pitch forks until the end of the presentation). In Forza, a Dodge Viper is going to be nose heavy, with a big old V10 up front, and a Lotus 2-Eleven is going to be light and turn on a dime, albeit with less power. That being said, these are games were the primary form of input is going to be a gamepad which lacks the fine control of a steering wheel and pedals. So, in their crazy conspiracy to turn a profit and stay in business, the developers dumb the physics down a little to make the game accessible to the widest possible player base.
The next step up from games like Forza in terms of realism are what I'll refer to as the "enthusiast" titles. These are games that attempt to simulate real world racing as accurately as possible. In addition to modeling real world vehicle dynamics as accurately as possible, players need to manage the same factors that real racing teams need to manage such as car setup, race craft, pit strategy and so on and so forth. Plus these games also attempt to simulate the different levels of grip with old versus new tires as well as hot versus cold tires. So, not only do players need to know how to turn in a fast lap, they need to do so without burning the tires off the car. Relatively recently, games like iRacing and Assetto Corsa have been laser scanning tracks so you can actually feel the small bumps and imperfections in the track. And when I say "feel," that isn't just nerd hyperbole, since almost all modern gaming steering wheels have force feedback that transfers this information to the player. The newest sims are also starting to model dynamic track conditions that simulate the difference in grip levels as a track "rubbers in" over the course of a race. Sim racing enthusiasts spend a lot of time arguing over which sim is the most realistic, and truth be told, no sim has gotten it totally right yet, but they have come a long way, and are the closest most of us will ever come to driving a DW12.
Given the relatively limited size of the target audience for racing sims, there is a surprising large number of titles to choose from. Some of the current big name titles are rFactor and rFactor 2, Race Room Racing Experience (if you actually are a fan of DTM, and not just some kind of racing hipster, this is your sim), Assetto Corsa, Project Cars, Stock Car Extreme (the best Brazilian Stock Car sim ever made, by virtue of being the only Brazilian Stock Car sim ever made, but it really is a great game), and my personal favorite, iRacing. iRacing is not a title without faults, and I may do a detailed review of these titles individually at a later date, but iRacing has a couple of features that elevate it above the others. First, it probably has the best representation of the DW12 currently on the market, which as an IndyCar fan is a huge plus for me. Second, iRacing places all its focus on player versus player online racing. As a result, iRacing has sharpened multiplayer racing (which traditionally is something that has been very difficult for racing sims to do right for a number of reasons) and polished it to a mirror finish. Racing against computer controlled cars can be a lot of fun, but there is no excitement or intensity like racing against real people. Like I said earlier, iRacing considers itself a service, not a game (which part of how they justify their subscription business model), and it really does feel a bit like a virtual bowling league for racing nerds.
At this point, you're probably thinking, I have a girlfriend and don't live in my Mom's basement, why do I care? Touché sir. To that I'll respond, have you ever wanted to go racing, but couldn't afford to? Even Crap Can racing like the 24 Hours of Lemons, or Chump Car can get awfully expensive awfully fast. By comparison, sim racing is relatively cheap, and provides a lot (although I have to admit, not all) of the same intensity as real world, wheel-to-wheel racing. So, if you've ever wanted to give racing a try haven't been able to, I suggest giving sim racing a try.
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