I read unpleasant comments about the Honorary Degree given to Kazunori Yamauchi (creator of the Gran Turismo series, for those who don't know him), in which people focused on the product itself, on the "forza motorsport is better", and so on. The undisputed merit of this person is to have brought the concept of simulation, or racing game if you want, outside the rooms or a niche of enthusiasts, and to have it enter the collective imagination. Bringing in the homes of 70 million players the concept of virtual driving, associating it to its instructional value: "I memorized the circuit on the playstation" is a phrase often heard from drivers representing the elite of motorsport itself, aside from testimonials of this game or that game, and these statements entered the homes of millions of people introducing a new concept in the ways of learning by having fun. And, if you allow me, having fun while driving, instead of killing zombies, vampires, stealing cars and committing virtual robberies. Yamauchi has the merit of bringing, before anyone else, a high level of adulteration in the world of virtual motoring creating -first one to do so- direct connections between the gaming medium and real automotive brands. Regardless of gameplay or design limitations of the various chapters of GT. And celebrating, through a videogame, the essence of motoring in what is the most immediate image in its simplicity, whether it's driving your own car or your most desired one or the one you will never have. He managed to do so thanks to his immense passion for the automobile, making many teenagers and young adults fall in love with a unique gaming art form.
A merit that in my opinion does not depend on "what kind of a game" Gran Turismo is, compared to others.
