The Disappointment of Modern Open-World Racing Games (Video Essay)

In this video, I share my 20-year journey of playing racing video games. As I've grown older, my preference has shifted from open-world racers like Need for Speed and Forza Horizon to track racers like Forza Motorsport and Assetto Corsa. This shift in preference is due to the disappointing state of recent open-world games, with the overwhelming majority of them feeling empty and lacking meaningful objectives to achieve. I reflect on the engaging narratives of older classics like Need for Speed Most Wanted and contrast them with the aimlessness of many modern open-world titles. At the end of the video, I propose a compromise between the grind of Forza Motorsport and the instant gratification of Forza Horizon by suggesting customizable progression systems that cater to different playstyles, offering a more tailored experience for each player.

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00:00 - 00:28 (Intro)
00:29 - 01:27 (Why I Prefer Track Racers)
01:28 - 02:29 (Lackluster Location Variety in Modern Open-World Racers)
02:30 - 02:50 (Boring and Monotonous Races in Modern Open-World Racers)
02:51 - 03:37 (The Glory of Early 2000s Open-World Racers)
03:37 - 04:49 (The Aimlessness of Modern Open-World Racers)
04:50 - 05:51 (Making It an Annoying Grind by Taking It Too Far in to the Other Direction)
05:52 - 06:48 (A Potential Solution: Customizable Progression Systems)
06:49 - 06:59 (Outro)
07:00 - 07:20 (End Screen)
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Clips Channel (DoABrad! 2):
   / @doabradclipsshorts5868  
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Twitter:
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Xbox/Windows GT:
DOR Stamina
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Steam Tag:
DOR Stamina
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Epic Games Tag:
BradJH28
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Discord ID:
Brad Hanna#9051

Host Biography:
Hailing from the gorgeous state of Arizona, USA, Brad serves as the host of this channel. Brad's passions include motorsport and technology, and this channel is about his first passion — motorsport. Since December 26th, 2018, Brad has been an integral part of the online racing team, Delta Online Racing (DOR). Within DOR, Brad serves as a driver, hotlapper, and performance manager. Brad has achieved a number of accolades in the last eight-plus years of his competitive Forza journey. These accolades include an 11th place finish out of 16 contestants in the Grand Finale of the LateShift Challenge (Forza Motorsport 7), finishing 2nd regionally in the Round 4 LMES 2020 Pro Individual Qualifying Rival, as well as finishing 11th overall in the 2020 ForzaRC Legendary Lap Championship. Besides that, Brad reigned victorious in the final round of the Forza Motorsport 7 Castrol IMSA Challenge at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit, and most recently, Brad competed in the 2024 Logitech McLaren G Challenge, where he claimed a 12th place finish out of 16 competitors in the North America Grand Final.

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