How Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi views the intersection of racing and games | The DeanBeat

Kazunori Yamauchi is one of the legends of game development and his Gran Turismo games are a flagship title on every PlayStation game console with lifetime sales above 90 million. And while racing is his passion, he stands at one of the most interesting intersections in gaming.

Racing is a sport and the crossover between sports and video games is getting deeper. The reverb is ringing in my head. I got to experience that reverberation last week while watching Gran Turismo players race each other in an esports tournament using highly realistic racing simulators built around PlayStation 5 consoles. Just outside the esports building at the Rennsport Reunion 7 exhibition, Porsche race cars were roaring around the Laguna Seca track with an incredible volume that added some cool sound effects while I was watching the indoor race.