Learning to Drive with Wreckfest: A Surprisingly Helpful Combo

At 9 years old, sitting in the plastic seats of a Sega Rally arcade machine, I unknowingly discovered that "automatic" is superior to "manual". Now, in my mid-thirties, I have finally learned to drive. Surprisingly, a racing game like Wreckfest played a significant role in this journey. Thank you, Wreckfest, for allowing me to release all that bottled-up road rage.

An Outlet for Anti-Calm

When I say "helped", I don't mean that Wreckfest taught me proper driving skills. It served as an outlet for the restlessness that would overcome me after driving lessons. Driving, which many take for granted after years of practice, is actually extremely stressful. Wreckfest, although an older game with a sequel in the works, remains a perfect way to let loose and understand the overwhelming concern that comes with handling a 1.5-ton vehicle.You can slide around dirt tracks in a beaten-up station wagon, engage in battles with twenty combine harvesters, or drive a "battle bus" with a metal cow catcher and cause chaos in online multiplayer. It has become one of my favorite games this year, despite its release in 2018.Image credit: THQ NordicThe secret to learning to drive, as someone on the internet said, is to forget the danger. We know that driving is a dangerous activity that causes thousands of injuries and deaths each year. But we also have to set that knowledge aside and just do it, trusting others to do the same. Even now, while driving on the motorway, I still have moments of doubt. Mass driving is a metaphor for our daily wilful ignorance of mortality.Games like Wreckfest and the Burnout series offer perfect stress relief for those confined by fear. Just as thalassophobes find release in Subnautica, drivers find relief in joining multiplayer servers like "Fuckfest! All cars allowed! No rules!". It's not just about breaking the rules; it's about letting go of the fear of making mistakes. In Wreckfest, drivers can get squashed and compressed into funny shapes, but they can always reset and get back on the track.Image credit: THQ NordicNorthern Ireland has a dark history of boy racers causing deadly accidents. I've nearly crashed twice due to reckless drivers. While I understand that dangerous driving is not something to be proud of, I also understand the Sonic-like desire to go fast and forget the rules. Joining a no-rules server in Wreckfest or a game like Night-Runners allows us to fulfill that desire. After years of enjoying racing games naively, I now have a deeper understanding of them.Wreckfest and its crashy arcade racer counterparts are a place where we can forget the stress of safety precautions and the risk of hurt or death. We can drift around corners like scrambling cats and witness terrible pile-ups with a sense of amusement. I may be late to the party, but arriving late and safe is better than being fast and careless.