iRacing: Game or Simulation?

iRacing is the premier racing simulation on the market. Granted you've paid for subscription and other services, you can't go wrong. Some think it is a game. But is iRacing a "game?" This is a debate I still showcase here on "John's Race Space." Feel free to agree or disagree with the content to be offered in this blog post.

My Credentials.

I have never played or paid for iRacing. So I am only going on impressions.

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Is iRacing a "Game?"

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iRacing is the original eSport racing game. Even the iRacing team themselves call it a game. It has been a fine evolution from NASCAR Racing 2003 Season- which is hailed as one of the premier models of simulation-type racing in gaming history. People usually stream iRacing on YouTube Live and Twitch. Because iRacing is a simulation, people think iRacing is more of a game than a simulation. It is constantly being developed and perfected with new features and content to enhance the experience all the further. Just about everything in iRacing is real- from the laser-scanned locations to the very accurate vehicles you can race. Nothing is fake... well, maybe that circle track, but that's about it. Since iRacing is digital and is used with a number of gaming devices (usually with steering wheels), some think iRacing is more of a game than a simulation. iRacing is also heavily governed through most leagues by various spotters and judges. Poor driving or any kind of unusual moments usually are reported to individuals judging the racing action. Some disgruntled racers may issue protests if they feel they have been shafted by another racer or other racers. ...but what IS iRacing- a game or a simulation?

If money were no object, iRacing checks the boxes as far as being a true out-and-out simulator. It is pound-for-pound one of the most realistic experiences one can have as far as any kind of virtual driving is concerned. iRacing is a paid service. You must buy a subscription to use the service while also having some extra money in case you want to purchase any vehicles or other content not freely available to all iRacing customers. Having an iRacing subscription even affects your ability to use certain services such as Trading Paints, which is used to share custom-made skins for iRacing vehicles.

Let's take the game vs. simulation argument further now.

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iRacing: The Arguments

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How would you describe iRacing? Here are two arguments and what make them true:

"iRacing is a Game!"

Usually, a game entails that there is a certain set goal you are supposed to clear. A game also suggests you can possibly use some underhanded tactics or cheats to win. Games may even have certain challenges and certain entities unique to trying to complete certain games. A game may also have certain difficulty levels to make play as easy or as hard as one would like. iRacing, to my knowledge, has very little in the way of any cheating through hacks or codes to win. So by this logic, iRacing is not any kind of "game." In addition, you are not able to develop custom content for iRacing besides your own livery for vehicles. You can't create custom content unless it is skins for your iRacing vehicles or even graphics for your iRacing driver and/or pit team. In recent builds of iRacing, there was the announcement and implementation of AI racing for iRacing. Since you can buy extra content as part of your iRacing subscription, some can see the extra content seem more like in-app purchases or downloadable content that you will commonly see in some of today's games.

"iRacing is a Simulation!"

iRacing is more meant to be a simulation despite the fact it seems like a game. In a sense, think of iRacing like Second Life or OpenSimulator- what seems like a game is really a sim. iRacing is more along those lines. iRacing is fairly deep as a simulation. This service is even used in training as well as grooming racing drivers. There are leagues and major races that nearl rival some of the greatest real-life races. Some of those leagues and championships are even virtual events by actual motorsports entities like NASCAR. Almost anyone who takes part in iRacing has at least a steering wheel. I hear you can use a keyboard or even a game pad, but it is recommended you have a steering wheel for accuracy and realism. iRacing also supports the use of virtual reality headsets for even more realism. Some people even think iRacing is the best simulation racer you can buy or take part in.

On the broadcasting end of the spectrum, iRacing streams are of great quality. The usual top-level broadcasting is done through RaceSpotTV usually on YouTube Live. Various other iRacing leagues are called by various different broadcasters such as OSRNetwork, MaxSpeed TV, LSRTV, and other outlets. iRacing provides opportunities even most games or game genres can't equal or better.


Even personalities such as play-by-play announcer Joe White of OSRNetwork mentions how iRacing is more like the best opportunity one has to do actual racing if one lacks the funding, talent, and physical strength to real racing. Some actual racers in real life even take on the challenge of iRacing. Some actual racers have even been involved in certain infamous situations on iRacing, such as ex-Formula 1 racer Scott Speed.

Allow me to answer the main question at hand. Next section, please...

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iRacing: Game or Simulation? My Thoughts

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iRacing is a simulation to me. It is only a game to those who basically think it is a game or like a game. It is, for the most part, a true simulation of driving and racing. iRacing is just built in a way that it is borderline disrespect to call iRacing a "game." Some people may even say iRacing is both a game AND a simulation. Put me on the "simulation" side of this debate.

I don't have the money, talent, or even a decent-enough PC to play iRacing. So I'll leave the iRacing fun to everybody else who can take advantage of all of this. I will just be here to lurk in online streams of iRacing or maybe chat a bit.





Those are my thoughts. What say you?

Is iRacing a "game" or a "simulation" to you?

Please have yourself a great day/night, and thank you for visiting my blog(s). I hope to provide much more content in the future for all of my different blogs and such. I just hope you'll be there to check it all out once I drop the content to those sites and services. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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