This note is part of the Gaming Teaches series of observations about what gaming can teach me when its use as a lens on life.
Gaming teaches us the usefulness of chasing our perspective if what we are doing isn’t working for us.
Assetto Corsa Competizione
Below is the cockpit view of my BMW M4 in Assetto Corsa Competizione, a sim racing game. It is the view that I have found easiest to race with even though you can see most of the view is blocked by the roof of the car or dashboard.
My ACC driving position.
This view matches more closely what I would see if I were actually sitting in the car given where I sit and the distance and size of my TV in front of me. By default the cockpit view in ACC is about 56° wide.
Default 56° field of view.
I have my field of view set at 22°. It feels much more natural and I can place the car better on the road. Strangely, the car also felt slower on the road - still fast but with less of a sensation of speed. And dips and rises were more pronounced. Anyone interested in why should watch the video below.
WRC 10
Using the same perspective in the rally simulator WRC 10 is horrific. I don’t have a good feel for the car, nor is there enough information for me to drive to the co-driver’s instructions.
WRC 10 driving position equivalent to ACC.
It looks the same as ACC, probably about 40° field of view. Instead of this I’m using the bonnet cam.
Bonnet cam works much better for me in this game.
When I changed to this I could place the car much better on the road and feel where the car was slipping and sliding. Another alternative tried was the chase camera. In this view the car was sluggish and barely controllable.
Chase cam - undriveable.
Gaming taught me…
Changing my perspective to something that works can pay big dividends. It’s just as important to do the same thing when dealing with people. Whilst I won’t walk a mile in their shoes (that would hurt), changing my point of view to encompass theirs will generate results.