| From the days of drag racing to the birth of | | | | are competitive purely for the sake of |
| NASCAR, car racing always has attracted | | | | competitiveness. |
| adrenaline junkies of all descriptions, both men and | | | | Games that allow players to "street race" are |
| women alike. This 'need for speed' is in the blood | | | | particularly appealing to younger players. Imagine |
| of car lovers everywhere, that unmistakable | | | | being able to perform the most death defying car |
| exhilaration that comes from breezing past the | | | | tricks, ones that seem to challenge the laws of |
| competition as your favorite tune tests the limits | | | | physics, without the threat of damage to the car |
| of your speakers. But these days, you don't even | | | | or to the driver! It's no wonder young people are |
| need a driver's license to get that kind of rush. | | | | so passionate about this kind of game. They can |
| You can feed your competitive spirit online by | | | | enjoy all the adrenaline and thrill of growling |
| playing racecar games. | | | | engines, hairpin turns and screeching brakes all |
| Racing games have undergone a metamorphosis | | | | without even having to fasten a seatbelt. |
| since their early inception, with games like Need | | | | What's more, anyone who's ever played a |
| for Speed. Changes in technology have moved | | | | computer game alone knows that after a while of |
| racing games online, and the effects are dazzling. | | | | playing against the computer, the game loses |
| Players can customize their rides, choose their | | | | some of its allure. There's only so much a person |
| tracks, and even decide what kind of music they | | | | can get from saying "I beat the computer again." |
| want to hear as they race. But one thing hasn't | | | | But when you add to the mix real human players, |
| changed over time: the potential for racing games | | | | scattered across the globe, which bring to the |
| to foster a healthy competitiveness among its | | | | table their own set of abilities, egos and reasons |
| players. | | | | for playing, you have a real challenge. There's |
| To encourage the competitive aspect of racecar | | | | something satisfying about getting behind the |
| games, most games offer a multi player option | | | | virtual wheel, putting mouse to metal and letting |
| where upwards of 15 players (or more) from all | | | | the pixels fly particularly when there's another |
| corners of the world can race one another to the | | | | human ego to be squashed in the process. |
| finish line. | | | | Winning at a racecar game no longer means you |
| There is a certain bravado in racing. The ability to | | | | have simply bested a computer. Now, when you |
| push a machine (whether real or virtual) up to and | | | | cross the finish line, it's quite likely you've gotten |
| past its limits, to leave competitors in the dust for | | | | the better of someone who, when he sat down |
| little more than bragging rights, is akin to the | | | | at his computer to play, thought for sure he was |
| schoolyard arm wrestling matches we all probably | | | | going to beat you. And what could be better than |
| witnessed at one point or another. These games | | | | that? |