I sometimes drive a 1992 Mini Cooper.  I love it, it’s the car I’ve wanted since I was 10 years old.  One of my dad’s buddies raced this little car when I was a kid, and let my dad and I take a lap in it at the end of a race.  It still gives me goosebumps thinking about that little race car, and I think of it often when I’m driving my little rig.  However, I don’t want a Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, Prius (especially a Prius)  or any exotic because I’ve driven many of those cars (except the Prius)  virtually in Forza racing, or on other virtual platforms.  Thrills that used to be experienced ONLY by having one of these vehicles, can now be at least partially had by playing games.

My point is the value of these before unachievable items, exotic cars, planes etc are now so easily had in games it has to effect the value of the REAL item.  I love my mini for other reasons,  in reality there’s maintenance, oil changes, tires, fuel, constant washing, you know tender loving care.  With virtual stuff there’s none of that, none of the baggage that goes along with actually owning something, no tax, no maintenance, no storage.   In fact there are way more advantages to owning VIRTUAL luxuries than the actual stuff.  I’m not saying run out and sell your Ferrari, it probably gets chicks (virtual cars probably only attract virtual women in second life…. not much fun, unless you’re into that, wow this spiraled into a rat hole fast.)   I’m saying the titillation I used to get just seeing a photo of an exotic car is pretty much gone.  Top Gear does a great job of digging up those old emotions my friends and I used to have with the 911 Porsche posters over our beds,  but after owning the car of my dreams, and being able to virtually drive almost ANY car I want, I’m very happy with cyber cars.   OK there’s one car in real life I like that  I haven’t been able to drive the Triumph GT 6, but that’s another blog post.

Play with your virtual luxuries, they get better gas mileage.