Formula 1 is rising in popularity, even beyond its long-established, core fan base.
The TV series Drive to Survive drew vast numbers of new fans to the sport, while video games like the positively reviewed F1 2021 use the latest in computer graphic technology to offer fans a uniquely realistic experience that makes them want to watch the real thing.
Given these circumstances, now seems to be the perfect time for the sport to expand its reach in modern culture. And a lot of this can be done through gaming. Despite the success of the title just mentioned above, the variety of F1 games is currently limited to racing and management simulators. This leaves a lot on the table, and with a bit of creativity, developers could create engaging titles that satisfy the diverse taste of gamer - and attract even more F1 fans.
Here are five suggestions:
Telltale-Style Story
F1 2021 has some amazing graphics and cut scenes, but the initially engaging plot devolves into a slowly progressing story with an underwhelming finale. Meanwhile if there is something a TV show like Drive to Survive has taught us, it's that you can tell some intensely emotional stories through F1 action!
The problem might be the way the story is being told. It's difficult to get immersed in a story where the only outcome from each playable stage is the racer's performance on the tracks. By using the Telltale formula of focusing on a plot and dialogues, an F1 game could go into greater detail regarding making each character tick, what the lifestyle is like, and so on. This could in turn make players care for the result of a race more than ever before. And hey, you never know - with Telltale laying out plans for future games, it appears to be interested in new ideas.
Track Builder
If you have ever built a toy racing track, you probably noticed that the tiny racing cars would easily derail and fly into another room if the speed was too high. But what if we could take this problem and turn it into a design challenge for Formula 1 fans?
Developers could easily create a game in which players are in charge of building the safest and fastest F1 tracks possible. The objective would be to use a particular set of straight and curved tracks, while only having a preset number of attempts for a driver to automatically race it, allowing the player to choose the average speed. The game could also feature more of a "creative" mode within which players could just go wild building up exciting and alluring F1 racing environments.
Collectible Card Games
Card games tend to offer a simplified version of tabletop role-playing games. They do this by creating a set of cards displaying characters with specific skills and weaknesses. A digital Formula 1 collectible card game could take advantage of this mechanic, in the same way that Gwent turns military units into a turn-based game.
First of all, developers could use real-life drivers and skills for their cards, much like football games like FIFA take inspiration from real-life performance to define statistics. Each match would be played by teams using different player and ability cards to meet the different challenges of a race: from trying to take a curve without losing control, to passing an opponent without crashing into them.
Slot Machines
Gambling games are immensely popular, with millions of people around the world playing versions of blackjack, roulette, and slot machines online. And with slots in particular, the market is so lucrative that a number of real-world franchises, organisations, and other properties have already licensed content their own slot machines.
Often, those games featuring licensed content follow what's trendy in the culture. In the heyday of Game Of Thrones, virtually every casino site had related slot games. In early 2021 when Friends was having something of a revival, a bingo game based on the show made the rounds. And just recently, we've also seen Gala Bingo highlighting a new, exclusive Jurassic Park game - seemingly to coincide with the release of the Jurassic World Dominon trailer. Creating a Formula 1 slot machine would fit right into this trend given the success of Drive To Survive and rising popularity of the sport. The game could depict famous tracks in the background, incorporate images of top drivers on the reels, and offer high-octane bonuses with animated racing content.
Historical Racing
As big of a fanbase as Formula 1 has these days, it wouldn't have reached this point without names like Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher. A new type of game could allow younger fans to learn more about these drivers and the history of this sport, and discover the challenges famous racers faced at different points of their careers.
Any engine already used for a Formula 1 game could be easily adapted to this task. But the tricky part would be recreating the feeling of driving machines built so differently - from the terribly risky races of the 1930s Grand Prix to the technological advancements of the 1960s, and the championships won by McLaren and Williams in the 1980s. Simplifying a version of the modern F1 console game - perhaps with retro graphics - might do the trick.
Formula 1 is an exciting sport that draws people's attention for multiple reasons: the state of the art vehicles, the celebrity pilots and brands associated with it, and the personal stories told behind the scenes. By tapping into the gaming potential of any of these factors, developers could provide players with a variety of engaging and highly detailed experiences, and contribute to the growing popularity of the sport.
We'll bring you the news if we hear of any games like these, and in the meantime please visit us again for all of your F1 needs and interests.
