As the year 2005 ends, we look back on what could be a very pivotal time in the Sim-Racing business. It seems that more companies are turning to the dash-for-cash style of the consumer console business and turning away from the PC market. However, I don’t think it’s time to send up the white flag and drag the PC to the curb. The Sim-racing crowd is a resilient bunch. If there’s a way to make some adjustments, we’ll figure out a way to make them. Privateering has brought quite a few good projects to our industry. GTR and Live for Speed were both independent Sim teams who felt they could create something on their own. Both teams have made believers out of the people who said it couldn’t be done. These privateers have given us a ray of hope as to what the future could possibly hold for us die-hard Sim-racers. The downside is that these companies sometimes have very little capital nor the manpower needed to tackle the enormous task of creating a simulation.

This year began with strong promise on the Sim-Racing scene with EA Sports set to release Nascar SimRacing in February and rFactor fresh out with their Multi-player demo. Things were starting to look promising. Team Redline was on the cusp of breathing new life into a dead horse with their awesome GTP Mod. However, the big ugly Ogre of corporate greed appeared and slammed the door on us sim-racers. From then on the Sim-racing world has seemed to be on a downward spiral. For a few months this year our Nascar forums were more dangerous than a foggy day in Baghdad. It didn’t matter which side of the issue you were on, there was trouble lurking. In my tenure here at BHMS, I have never seen a more volatile community dynamic. I want to think that the desperation for the perfect simulation caused people to buy into the hype as far as some did. We Sim-Racers are so passionate about our sport that we want to believe that perfection is possible. There are certainly some questions as to the future of PC Racing Simulation software, possibly because there is no true leader in the industry to use as a benchmark. Nevertheless, we are nowhere near the point where we have to settle for mediocre products or support. There are companies that will compete for our market and hopefully they will share the same passion for the sport. We just need to find and support them in the best manner we can and hope they don’t sue us for trying to help them. J

There are some bright spots in the PC genre for 2005 and more than ever the Mod community continues to craft innovative accessories. rFactor was an exceptional success this year and given that it embraces modding, should create an opportunity for some amazing things. GTR’s sequel, GT Legends is also on the radar this year. Live for Speed continues to receive upgrades and as long as LFS continues to evolve and remain active in the hearts of its creators, I know that there will always be hope for our sport. NetKar Pro is another title that continues to gain momentum in popularity that may offer another sim-racing alternative in the near future. Flat-Out2, Kart Masters and Concept RS will come to the market in 2006 as well as ChampCar, so there will be plenty of new titles to try out.

In closing; as we approach Award time, 2005 has not been one of the benchmark years for Sim-Racing. Even the number of category nominees is considerably lower than in years past, but I’ll take quality over quantity at this point. All is not lost though because there are still companies supplying product for us, the sim-racing enthusiast. Better communication, goodwill and, trust between these two entities will go a long way toward improving our enjoyment and their bottom line. If it is possible to accomplish these tasks, then 2006 and beyond will be very exciting.

We have altered the categories slightly for the 2005 BHMS Awards. This year instead of having a category for Best GamePlay, we have renamed it to Best Driving Experience. This category will focus on the title that creates the best racing experience. The Mod Category should be very active this year in that there are tons of mods out for many different titles. As it has been in the past, the Mod category is a write-in ballot and I hope that all of the Mod makers at least get a vote. BHMS would also like to announce the addition of a new category for the 2005 Awards. We would like to introduce the BHMS 2005 Flat-Tire Award and it will be given to the game title that has had a blowout and hit the wall in 2005.

Remember to vote for each category and don’t forget to complete the write-in ballot as well. Voting will continue until December 31, 2005, and the winners will be announced during the first weeks of 2006.


Happy Holidays from BHMS
David B. Harrison