A Need for Speed On and Off the Screen: playing games in the real and digital world

1

I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I think back to the good old days spending an evening with a six pack and a Need for Speed adrenalin fix to entertain me, all was good with the world. Just getting to see each car’s capabilities unfold as I upped their specs, leveling up as I rolled along with the gameplay, was exhilarating enough.

Even during the darnedest of realizations, like how our bank accounts are miles away from ever affording that sweet Bugatti, or the more sobering ones that make you realize you’re better off not ever getting the chance to ride a Lambo Gallardo. Because imagine just how real that pain would feel if you ever did crash it off screen.

But dude, imagine what it would be like if you actually had the license to operate some of those bad beauties you see play out on the highway or motor cross, to revel in the sound of that engine starting up, be a road runner for a day. Sometimes I think we’re better off sticking to the casual bliss of car games with a gnawing case of carpel tunnel thanks to a Cars on Road addiction. Take it from the Harley bad boy, Cary Hart’s lessons on what it’s like to be a professional motor-crosser for life.

I don’t know where to draw the line between appreciating monster rides from an audience or from within a GTA standpoint and actually putting your life on the line in the name of carbon fiber and speed, but I commend the brave hearts that dare to ride with passion and without fear.

In the meanwhile, I’m perfectly comfortable driving every day cars. Heck, it’s a privilege to get behind the wheel of any new car for a test drive. We’re lucky that we get to share some of these insights with you. Whether you drive for a living, game to drive or get to write reviews of rides, you’re a lucky chap.

I woke up this morning with that reminder: cars have always been a driving force in my life. Pun intended. But sometimes you have to zoom in a little closer just to get a hold of where those roots came from. Was it the smell of burnt rubber, the touch of fresh leather or the countless hours of gameplay that got me going to begin with? Never mind though. Just roll with it and enjoy the ride.