Racing GamesPole Position from Namco in 1982 is widely accepted as the origin of racing games in the form accepted today. Based on the Fuji Racetrack, this third person view racing game became the most popular game of 1983. The game featured a race against the clock followed by racing against other computer controlled cars. 1986 saw Sega introduce its popular Out Run racing game, introducing track selection and advanced graphics processing to create a more convincing 3d environment. Force feedback through the steering wheel added to the players immersion. Gran Turismo, released for the playstation in 1998, was a turning point for console racing games spawning an incredibly popular franchise. This was somewhere between arcade racing game and racing simulation with extensive customisation options. The first version of this game shipped over 10 million copies proving just how popular the racing game format had become. As consoles have improved, so too have the graphics and physics engines within the racing games with the latest crop of games for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 providing very realistic graphical modeling. Playing racing games online, allowing head to head races with people from all the corners of the glob has proved increasingly popular - as has the sale of accessories to improve the experience such as force feedback steering wheels. |