5 ms·

Am I missing something? Why are they playing a game?

by sammy2255 4y ago

ohyes 4y ago
Presumably there’s a payday involved.
- DRW_ 4y ago
  I mean maybe, but he also just legitimately does it for his own enjoyment and training regardless of the big races he participates in.
- anonexpat 4y ago
  Sure, but it would be minuscule compared to what Red Bull pays him.
doikor 4y ago
Max just loves racing including on computers. Most of the young racing drivers are the same. He owns/manages his own esports racing team.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
tokai 4y ago
All professional racing drivers use simulation racing training in some way. So its obvious to do off-season e-racing. It also synergises well with building a personal brand.
DRW_ 4y ago
He finds the competition legitimately engaging on the proper sim racing 'games'. We're not talking Gran Turismo, Forza, the F1 games, etc but the more 'serious' ones like iRacing, rFactor, etc. He spends a lot of time on them, as do some of the other younger pro racers these days. Article here on how he believes it helps him become a better driver and how the sim racers are closer to real world racers than many people expect. https://racingnews365.com/how-verstappen-uses-sim-racing-to-become-a-better-driver https://racingnews365.com/how-verstappen-uses-sim-racing-to-...
- hotpotamus 4y ago
  I was really impressed at NASCAR's ability to go virtual in response to the early covid precautions and provide what looked to me (not much of a racing fan) like a compelling substitute for their normal in person competitions.
- pwillia7 4y ago
  I think too for max it's the purest type of _competition_. In real racing, there are all kinds of factors that make the cars different and each lap different. All these changes for the driver ultimately boil down to how do I get the most grip from the tires and how do I know how my grip will change. In the real world the number of factors and variance between cars makes it kind of a personal thing I think. This might explain why Schumacher and Clark both didn't understand why everyone else couldn't go as fast as them. In Simracing, a lot of things are simulated, but not enough to struggle to wrap your head around eventually. All the parts on all the cars are the exact same and environmental/tire changes are more simple too. It's also much more accessible than driving an open wheel race car competitively. I think this means driving at the top of sim racing is VERY competitive in terms of errors and % gains. Team money is removed as a 'mark' against your talent too.
Zigurd 4y ago
On the one hand, as others have pointed out too: People I know who are serious about car racing use games to develop their skills. The games are faithful enough simulations to be useful for that. On the other hand, driving/cycling/skiing simulations are just simulations. I'm happy to just have a power meter on an indoor cycling trainer. But some people have fancy setups that can tilt for inclines and lean for turns. "Enough realism" is an interesting game design consideration.

Am I missing something? Why are they playing a game?

ohyes 4y ago

Presumably there’s a payday involved.

DRW_ 4y ago
I mean maybe, but he also just legitimately does it for his own enjoyment and training regardless of the big races he participates in.
anonexpat 4y ago
Sure, but it would be minuscule compared to what Red Bull pays him.

doikor 4y ago

Max just loves racing including on computers. Most of the young racing drivers are the same. He owns/manages his own esports racing team.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

tokai 4y ago

All professional racing drivers use simulation racing training in some way. So its obvious to do off-season e-racing. It also synergises well with building a personal brand.

DRW_ 4y ago

He finds the competition legitimately engaging on the proper sim racing 'games'. We're not talking Gran Turismo, Forza, the F1 games, etc but the more 'serious' ones like iRacing, rFactor, etc. He spends a lot of time on them, as do some of the other younger pro racers these days. Article here on how he believes it helps him become a better driver and how the sim racers are closer to real world racers than many people expect. https://racingnews365.com/how-verstappen-uses-sim-racing-to-become-a-better-driver https://racingnews365.com/how-verstappen-uses-sim-racing-to-...

hotpotamus 4y ago
I was really impressed at NASCAR's ability to go virtual in response to the early covid precautions and provide what looked to me (not much of a racing fan) like a compelling substitute for their normal in person competitions.
pwillia7 4y ago
I think too for max it's the purest type of _competition_. In real racing, there are all kinds of factors that make the cars different and each lap different. All these changes for the driver ultimately boil down to how do I get the most grip from the tires and how do I know how my grip will change. In the real world the number of factors and variance between cars makes it kind of a personal thing I think. This might explain why Schumacher and Clark both didn't understand why everyone else couldn't go as fast as them. In Simracing, a lot of things are simulated, but not enough to struggle to wrap your head around eventually. All the parts on all the cars are the exact same and environmental/tire changes are more simple too. It's also much more accessible than driving an open wheel race car competitively. I think this means driving at the top of sim racing is VERY competitive in terms of errors and % gains. Team money is removed as a 'mark' against your talent too.

Zigurd 4y ago

On the one hand, as others have pointed out too: People I know who are serious about car racing use games to develop their skills. The games are faithful enough simulations to be useful for that. On the other hand, driving/cycling/skiing simulations are just simulations. I'm happy to just have a power meter on an indoor cycling trainer. But some people have fancy setups that can tilt for inclines and lean for turns. "Enough realism" is an interesting game design consideration.