#no more fanboost either

[formulae-1]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I’m actually so sad they’re getting rid of the 45 minutes + a lap format, I really liked that part of the sport. And they’re rolling out a new charging thing that’s going to work like pit stops too 😒

[blameyana]

Fandom

Week 9 Presentation

The digital world today changes how fans communicate with each other, even with their favourite celebrities. Fandom went from only viewing fandom materials (watching a film or reading a book) to participating in the fandom itself. This brings to the creation of fanfictions and fan art. Social media platforms enable people to form connections with others, either of the same fandom or those of other fandoms. Fandoms give a sense of belonging. What else is better than a group of people who understands you and what you like, who accepts you for who you are?

Fandoms have now allowed their fans to be a part of them, especially in the creation of new media or to determine the outcome of something. In Formula E, fans are able to provide their favourite drivers with extra ‘power’ during racing. This concept has been introduced by International Automobile Federation (FIA). This concept was introduced to give fans the opportunity to determine the outcome of the race. Fans get to vote for their driver of choice before the race through the Formula E website. Whenever the FanBoost is being used by the driver, it can be seen through the Halo head-protection device, with the Halo glowing in magenta. Not only does this show that fans play a part in fandom, but it also brings more attention to the sport (FanBoost 2022).

Creating materials of fandom, such as writing fanfiction and creating fan art give fans a sense of satisfaction as they get to change or modify existing materials according to how they want them to be. The creation of materials contributes to the revising of storytelling in a fan community (Wiatrowski n.d.). There are many platforms that allow fans to write fanfictions on, the most popular one would be Archive of Our Own. This site hosts over 10 million fanfictions from various fandoms. The most popular platform for fan art would be DeviantArt. This shows that fandom promotes creativity in fans. Some might even say that investing your time in fandoms is a hobby.

Why should you be a fan of something? Well, why not? It’s simply fun being a part of something that you consider is part of your identity.  

References:

FanBoost 2022, Formula E Wiki, viewed 8 December 2022, <https://formulae.fandom.com/wiki/FanBoost>.

Wiatrowski, M n.d., The dynamics of Fandom: exploring fan communities in online spaces, Academia.edu, viewed 1 December 2022, <https://www.academia.edu/491940/The_Dynamics_of_Fandom_Exploring_Fan_Communities_in_Online_Spaces>.

[fisididrosa]

19 & 20 for the FE ask game? <3

What is your opinion on fanboost?

I’m not a huge fan. It was a good idea in theory, but when you can confidently predict most races who will get it then it’s a bit pointless. If they wanted to make it more spicy they should add the option of either voting to give someone a boost or use your power to remove a vote from someone!

Did you start watching Formula E for a certain driver?

Yes and no.  I was interested anyway because fast cars no go vroom but are still racing; and street courses are always fun times.  But also Piquet. For reasons. I would have watched and gone to the races without him, but it was definitely an attractive addition.

Thank you :)

[simracingpaddock]

E-Sports has really become a major force in the gaming world, with many people gathering together to watch people play games such as Overwatch, League of Legends, or even Super Smash Bros! With the highly competitive nature of Sim Racing, it seems like our hobby is perfect for entering the E-Sports World! Well… that hasn’t exactly been the case from what we’ve seen so far. With more racing titles vying for a bite of that “E-Sports” Pie, the question is, why isn’t the Sim Racing E-Sport established yet?

Lack of Polish Hurt Early Attempts at E-Sports

The most notable attempts in Racing E-Sports didn’t exactly go as planned. While iRacing does tend to have a solid system going with multiple series, even ones outsourced to third party “Broadcasting Teams”, there are still notable issues, such as this year’s race at Daytona which went south, turning the Premier virtual oval racing championship’s opening round into a non-points-paying event.

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In January this year, the Formula E Visa Vegas E-Race was slated to be the most prestigious virtual race ever, with the winner of the event winning $200,000, which is 20 times the amount that the winner of the NASCAR Peak Antifreeze Series Championship would win, after a whole year of racing. However, the race turned into chaos, with poorly made third party content making rFactor 2 look like “the worst title they could have picked for the event”. In addition, a glitch with the “Fanboost” system led to Olli Pahkala dominating the race, although in a class act he did inform the officials about the error, and was demoted to third place. This is the kind of scandal that hurts Sim Racing.

Assetto Corsa also had its own recent scandal as well, in terms of E-Sports. Eurogamer.it had advertised a championship using Assetto Corsa, featuring the Lotus 98T Formula One car. However, looking at the Eurogamer.it Youtube channel, you can only find the trailer for the series, as well as the final two rounds of the championship; Round 6 and Round 7. Not a great representation of a multi-race championship, especially considering they were planning highlight reels, and being able to watch the race after it aired. I watched the first race in the championship and, to be blunt, it was a mess. After that race, I felt no incentive to tune into future races in the championship, and I’m a guy that’s passionate about Sim Racing. How would the average racing fan feel about a championship where this was our first exposure to the series?

Lack of Promotion Doesn’t Help Either

One of the things that different E-Sports series does well is the promotional side. If you google “E-Sports” you’ll see all sorts of different sites showcasing a variety of E-Sports. Did you know that ESPN has a written articles about SUPER SMASH BROS?!

However, if you look up “Sim Racing E-Sports”, you’ll find iRacing’s homepage, a couple niche articles, and not much beyond that. The coverage for Sim Racing as an E-Sport isn’t there.

Let’s take the NASCAR Peak Antifreeze Series as an example again. iRacing and NASCAR have promoted the NPAS as an officially sanctioned NASCAR series, with the champion going up to the stage at Homestead Miami, to accept a $10,000 check, and a championship ring. However, if you go to the NASCAR.com website, you’re likely going to search around for any mention whatsoever of the online racing championship, save for a link on the bottom of the page. You’ll also not really find anything to do with it on the NASCAR Facebook page. You’ll be able to find out Ty Dillon’s future baby’s name though!

In an example of how to do it RIGHT, let’s take a look at the FIA WTCC championship. On the header of the official WTCC website, you see a tab for E-Sports, which showcases the RaceRoom Racing Experience championship, and tells you how to join in as well. In addition, the races are officially streamed on the FIA WTCC Facebook page as well!

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The NASCAR Peak Antifreeze series isn’t actively promoted by NASCAR, so I believe that results in lower viewership

The FIA WTCC Promotes their races, and RaceRoom shares the live stream, which leads to a higher viewership

Is There Hope for the Future?

I know that I’ve been coming off with a negative tone in the article, but to avoid “Going Full Pretend Race Cars”, I want to address the question, “Is there hope for E-Sports in Sim Racing?” And the simple answer I’d say is yes!

We are seeing these titles getting more and more polished, and being tailor-made into titles that can specialize for E-Sports. Forza Motorsport 7, Gran Turismo Sport, and Project CARS 2 will be newcomers into the E-Sports world, showcasing online competition in a professional environment.

rFactor 2 is looking to incorporate a more professional online racing service, including driver rankings. Assetto Corsa doesn’t have a first party professional racing system, but Sim Racing System has picked up the slack to provide an online racing environment for Kunos Simulazioni’s sim.

What will ultimately make or break Sim Racing as an E-Sport comes down to two things, Polish and Promotion. Are the titles polished enough to showcase a professional racing solution, and are they being promoted to a growing audience of race fans? Hopefully this next generation of racing titles will boost Sim Racing as an E-Sport, but time will tell..

  Why Hasn’t Sim Racing Taken Off in the E-Sports World? E-Sports has really become a major force in the gaming world, with many people gathering together to watch people play games such as Overwatch, League of Legends, or even Super Smash Bros!