Cologne, Germany - Good luck trying to convince your kids that it’s unhealthy to stay up all night, eating junk food and playing video games, when Guinness World Records is now handing out awards for exactly that.
Last week at Europe’s biggest gaming expo, Gamescom, held in Cologne, Germany, five sugar-fuelled TV game experts were presented with a Guinness certificate for the “longest video marathon on a racing game”.
The five virtual racers, who ranged in age from 23 to 42, completed a marathon two-day session at the wheel of a Ford GT race car in the game Forza Motorsport 6. Cara Scott from the UK, Helene Cressot from France, Johannes Knapp from Germany, Andrea Lorenzo Facchinetti from Italy, and Jesus Sicilia Sanchez, from Spain drove for 48 hours, 29 minutes and 21 seconds, and completed a combined 41 004 virtual kilometres and 3015 laps of the Sarthe circuit - an exact replica of the track that hosts the annual Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race where a real Ford GT scored an historic win in its class earlier in 2016.
The team survived on a total of 32 energy drinks, 146 bottles of water and 47 bottles of soft drinks, and ate more than three kilograms of sweets in the process. The virtual distance achieved in the marathon stint is roughly 100km more than the distance around the world. The previous record (yes, there was one) was 48 hours, 1 minute.
“They did an amazing job,“ said Ford Racing driver Stefan Mucke, who competes in the World Endurance Championship in an actual GT race car. “Just like driving at the real Le Mans, this achievement required extreme levels of concentration, attention to detail, and most importantly endurance - because they had to keep going for twice as long as we did.
Realistic experience
Ford engineers worked together with Forza developer Turn 10 Studios to make the virtual experience as realistic as possible. The look of the Ford GT is based on the actual car right down to the last millimetre, handling attributes are exactly replicated, and the engine’s distinctive sound is also programmed into the game. Other aspects, such as the active rear wing, which can change its angle automatically to suit different conditions, are also accurate.
Out of more than 450 cars available in the game, the Ford GT (which also features on the game’s cover) is one of the top five most raced, and has completed almost 71 million kilometres virtually. That’s a trip to the moon and back 93 times.
The partnership between Ford and Microsoft also sees one of the biggest on-line gaming contests in history, where Forza 6 players around the world will race in a championship running until 4 September. The winner will receive a brand new Ford Focus RS - Star Motoring.
To enter visit www.forzamotorsport.net