495 Words About: Racing In a Honda Fit, Gran Turismo 7
At the time of this writing I have been playing Brutal Legend on my PC. I originally intended to replay it on my Playstation 3, but by the time I had assembled my new computer, and realized that I could play it at a higher framerate, there was no going back. Eddie Riggs has since been regularly appearing on my monitor driving around and slamming his bumper into demons, and I knew I had to write about it. I suspect playing this game as much as I have, alongside Batman: Arkham Knight, and thus thinking about cars in videogames all played a role in me deciding to finally try playing Gran Turismo 7.
The first “mission” of the game, which was described in-game as a “menu”, was to collect three Japanese “Compact Cars.”
To a non-car-obsessed-nerd like myself, I can say honestly that before these races I could only tell you what a Mini-Cooper was. And that was only because I watched, and enjoyed, the 2003 film The Italian Job starring Charlize Theron.
After Googling what a “Compact Car” was, the game explained what a “Compact Car” actually was, and I headed to the racetrack to win a Toyota Aqua S '11, a Honda Fit Hybrid '14, and a Mazda Demio XD Touring '15.
Gran Turismo 7 is a beautiful videogame, and after a lifetime of looking at cars the way I look at forks, I’m suddenly surprised to find myself appreciating the aesthetics of automobiles. Watching Corvettes turn corners on racetracks, and watching the light gleam off their paint in beautiful 4K is stunning.
And then I’m reminded that, at this writing, I only have three Japanese Compact cars and am entering races against similar vehicles. My first actual race looked like a troupe of soccer moms were racing on a professional course. The image by itself was absurd, but somehow I still was more plussed by the fact that I won 2nd place, and lost to a Prius.
Not gonna lie, somehow that hurt more than second place.
One race was enough though for me to finally appreciate racing games after spending a lifetime actively avoiding them. I suspect there was some intellectual snobbery hiding an emotional wound. I equated car games with car bros, a.k.a. the jerks who used to make childhood a living hell. I’m happy to move past this and realize that videogames like Gran Turismo 7 are just that: fun videogames.
Studying the specs of the cars I’ve won, learning the alterations that are possible, and seeing how different models have evolved over time are in-game intellectual gems. But Gran Turismo 7 is first a videogame about simulated racing, and it manages to make every aspect of it a delight. Even the most low powered vehicle, like my blue Honda Fit, is pleasant to control.
And even when I lose another race to a beige Toyota Aqua, I’m still excited to see the new cars I’ll operate.
Joshua “Jammer” Smith
6.3.2024
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