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Car Makers Use Games As Virtual Test Drive
Thanks to the Detroit Free Press for their article discussing car manufacturers garnering publicity, and even increased sales, from their vehicles appearing in racing games. According to brand manager David Milch: "It's a virtual test drive. The games are that sophisticated. People are getting a real feel for how the car will perform." The article goes on to explain: "The average age of a gamer is 29, and... more than half of all households in America play. That makes games a natural way to reach prime auto buyers - and those who are about to make their first purchase." Would you buy a car because you liked how it handled in a game?
Next time I can plug my PS2 controller into my steering column, I'll tell you if the driving performance compares.
Not only that, but there is so much to buying a car that you can't get from a game, no matter how sophiscated. Some cars feel a lot faster than others. What about the interior design, the comfort of the car, etc.
I might consider test driving a car I liked in a video game, but then again, do i get to drive it at the redline and crash it into other cars on purpose if I want to (we can only hope). Even so, I'm wary of just how real the handling is. Sure, I can design a bridge with a computer, but it's nothing compared to actually building it (okay, weak analogy, but you get the point)
-Ryan
AUWYHSTOT (Acronyms are Useless When You Have to Spell Them Out Too)
...there is so much to buying a car that you can't get from a game, no matter how sophiscated
Exactly right. I would never buy a car without driving it, no matter how well it performed in a game. I am a performance enthusiast, so I'm probably exactly the type of person they target. But as any person who really drives (and enjoys driving at the limit) will tell you, the most important aspects of a performance car is the feedback the car provides to the driver, and no game can simulate that. A car with better feedback allows the driver to be better.
This reminds me of something Michael Schumacher once said (If you have to ask who he is, you're probably reading the wrong thread, but here). When asked about driving in wet conditions, he said that normally, the car tells you when you're about to exceed the limit, but in the wet, it whispers. When I can feel everything in the car accurately "whisper" to me in a game, I'll consider buying a car based on the game, but I'll let you know when that happens (don't wait up).
--That's the point of being root, you can do anything you want, even if it's stupid.
3 years ago my roomate told me about a very cool new car called the Subaru WRX. I was interested, but didn't have the money for it at the time so I didn't give it much thought.
I pretty much spent the next few years driving around the WRXs and, when they were available, STis in the various racing games that had them. Over time I gained a fairly healthy appreciation of that type of car and eventually did purchase a WRX STi when they became available in the last few months.
Interestingly, until I went down to sign the papers for my car I had never been in a WRX nor STi and had I actually never seen an STi in person at that point.
So far the car has lived up to my expectations, although some days I do wish I could take it around the rally courses I've been driving for the last few years... ^_^
As for how close the simulations are? Well, some more than others but around my house GT3 is still a fan favorite as it's close enough to give a good feeling about a particular car but still retains a certain arcade-quality that doesn't punish the user too hard when they make a mistake. We can't wait for GT4 of course.