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This is something, which I noticed a few months after the game first came out. Although many people pay little attention to the grandstands while they are playing the game, it is something, which adds that extra bit of realism to the game.
In a world such as the one depicted in the Gran Turismo series clearly racing is the most important factor. Which makes it disturbing is that even in a world where racing is life, fan turnout has not been that great at some of the games legendary circuits. In fact at many tracks the amount of spectators has dropped off dramatically.
As not only a Gran Turismo driver but as an avid racing fan I felt that this pressing issue in the world of Gran Turismo must be investigated. I took it upon myself to take a look at which tracks seem to failing and which ones are flourishing.
It was not so long ago back in the days of the original Gran Turismo when the grandstands were absolutely packed with avid racing fans. They came out in droves, filling nearly every corner of the track with fans, to cheer on their favorite pixilated cars. No matter how slow the cars, or how boring the racing, throngs of fans showed their support for the sport they were programmed to love.
Things however seemed to take a turn for the worse however when Gran Turismo 3 came around. Tracks, which were normally full to the brim with spectators, were seeing reduced crowd sizes. Mind you however the crowds were still there but it was easy to spot out sections of the track that did not sell out. No one really seemed to complain however about the smaller crowds or perhaps no one noticed.
Now with Gran Turismo 4 however its clear that the fans are no longer interested. One only needs to take a look at the photos I have taken to see the painfully low attendance. The worse part however is its not at places you would expect. As an example take a look at Grand Valley.
Can you believe it? Grand Valley which had always been a fan favorite, and host to some of the greatest races in GT history. Races such as Me vs. AI in 98, Me vs. AI in 2001 and of course the legendary Me vs. AI vs. AI vs. the sand trap in the first hairpin in 2005. Cleary those amazing battles weren’t enough to save the tracks attendance.
Other tracks are not very healthy either, tracks like Suzuka, and especially Midfield have been turned into virtual ghost towns even when the popular Formula GT series races. It hurts simply to look at those completely bare stands at those two great tracks steeped in history.
Things aren’t all bad however. While some tracks are dying out others seem to be keeping up very high attendance numbers. Autumn Ring is one of the most crowded tracks in the game. It seems as if fans really wanted to show their support after the track did not host races in the third installment of Gran Turismo. Also circuits such as Monaco and Apricot have kept their attendance numbers high. However it must be said the there are still plenty of seats to be found at Apricot.
I hope this investigation will open some eyes for the race planners and track owners in Gran Turismo and Hopefully in the next installment the stands will once again be packed.
So now I ask you all what are your thoughts on the low turnouts? Also where do you think the fans have all gone?
In a world such as the one depicted in the Gran Turismo series clearly racing is the most important factor. Which makes it disturbing is that even in a world where racing is life, fan turnout has not been that great at some of the games legendary circuits. In fact at many tracks the amount of spectators has dropped off dramatically.
As not only a Gran Turismo driver but as an avid racing fan I felt that this pressing issue in the world of Gran Turismo must be investigated. I took it upon myself to take a look at which tracks seem to failing and which ones are flourishing.
It was not so long ago back in the days of the original Gran Turismo when the grandstands were absolutely packed with avid racing fans. They came out in droves, filling nearly every corner of the track with fans, to cheer on their favorite pixilated cars. No matter how slow the cars, or how boring the racing, throngs of fans showed their support for the sport they were programmed to love.
Things however seemed to take a turn for the worse however when Gran Turismo 3 came around. Tracks, which were normally full to the brim with spectators, were seeing reduced crowd sizes. Mind you however the crowds were still there but it was easy to spot out sections of the track that did not sell out. No one really seemed to complain however about the smaller crowds or perhaps no one noticed.
Now with Gran Turismo 4 however its clear that the fans are no longer interested. One only needs to take a look at the photos I have taken to see the painfully low attendance. The worse part however is its not at places you would expect. As an example take a look at Grand Valley.
Can you believe it? Grand Valley which had always been a fan favorite, and host to some of the greatest races in GT history. Races such as Me vs. AI in 98, Me vs. AI in 2001 and of course the legendary Me vs. AI vs. AI vs. the sand trap in the first hairpin in 2005. Cleary those amazing battles weren’t enough to save the tracks attendance.
Other tracks are not very healthy either, tracks like Suzuka, and especially Midfield have been turned into virtual ghost towns even when the popular Formula GT series races. It hurts simply to look at those completely bare stands at those two great tracks steeped in history.
Things aren’t all bad however. While some tracks are dying out others seem to be keeping up very high attendance numbers. Autumn Ring is one of the most crowded tracks in the game. It seems as if fans really wanted to show their support after the track did not host races in the third installment of Gran Turismo. Also circuits such as Monaco and Apricot have kept their attendance numbers high. However it must be said the there are still plenty of seats to be found at Apricot.
I hope this investigation will open some eyes for the race planners and track owners in Gran Turismo and Hopefully in the next installment the stands will once again be packed.
So now I ask you all what are your thoughts on the low turnouts? Also where do you think the fans have all gone?