Disregarded Demographics: Truckers

Who else is a bit bored of racing games? You get in a sufficiently beefed up metallic box on wheels and bomb it around some excitingly twisty tracks as a prima donna driver.  Talented they may be, but are they truly representative as some of the best vehicle handlers in the world? I argue not.  In this issue of Disregarded Demographics we shall look at yet another cast-aside group that are debatably the real kings of the road.  No, it’s not those hedgehogs, it’s the humble trucker.  These men and women command our respect as the suppliers of resources that we couldn’t live without and, occasionally, piles and piles of toys.  Which we also probably couldn’t live without.

Allow me a little background.  As of March 2006, levels of turnover for truck driving jobs reached an all-time high ‘“ 136%.  For every 1,000 drivers hired, 1,360 would leave for a different company or leave the industry entirely, through retirement or otherwise, thus paving the way for a shortage in truck drivers in the future, which would obviously be disastrous for all sorts of industries if it continued to increase.  A solution awaits us, though.  If we can sex up the military industry for the purpose of fun, why not the trucking sector too? If kids really are influenced by games, let’s get them involved and stave off this problem.

I suppose we have games such as Big Mutha Truckers and Excitetruck representing the vehicles, but what we don’t have is a game that accurately emphasises the job behind it all.  Truck drivers have to be extremely skilled and aware, and so it is important that before any jobs are undertaken that players must earn their Heavy Goods Vehicle licence, similar to how you would in Gran Turismo.  Only it’s far more gruelling because you’ll have an important job at the end of it all, of course.  You’ll start out on smaller routes, returning to base each night, but as you improve you may be relocated to the USA and tasked with drives of thousands of miles.  It all plays out like a driving game without any racing (aside getting to your destination on time), but with one big, meaty hook ‘“ it’s all in real time.

Think of it like Le Mans 24 but in a truck.  Forget Natal; the only proper way to improve interactivity in games is if you’re feeling the same emotions as your in-game persona, and we can all relate to a bit of chronic exhaustion.  As you play your trucker’s concentration will slowly deteriorate, morphing the screen into a series of fatigued hallucinations while you drive through the dead of night ‘“ and, unless you’re cheating by overdosing on Pro Plus as you’re playing, you’ll be feeling exactly the same, leading to a whole new level of immersion!

In accordance to US law, though, you’ll have to take a break every few hours, and you’ll only be allowed to play the game for up to 70 hours every eight days.  The game comes with a free fan to put next to your Xbox 360 so it doesn’t overheat and collapse during another epic run.  As the routes get longer, you’ll also have the opportunity to use team drivers; either people who share the same truck as you, or switch over when you reach different states.  This doesn’t do you much good, unless you’ve got a willing friend or other half hanging around, but it does mean the in-game phantasms ease up a bit.

It’s not all driving.  Since you’ll be visiting all sorts of places you can build up a collection of trinkets and furniture as you travel to customise your truck and sleeper berth, the rest compartment that can be found in larger trucks.  You can also engage in witty banter with your dispatcher and other members of staff via your intercom system.  The branching conversation system, similar to ones found in BioWare titles, proves that the life of a trucker isn’t so lonely after all.  Don’t forget that you’re also responsible for the mechanical upkeep of your truck, which means some exciting spanner-twisting motion mini-games in the Wii version.

I hear that a breakaway group of Polyphony Digital developers are already involved deeply in talks with the American Trucking Association to work out the best way to improve the image of the industry through the medium of gaming.  The team are hugely excited by the possibilities of working with all of the major truck manufacturers ‘“ Mack Truck, Kenworth, Western Star et al ‘“ to bring lifelike realisations of their products to virtual interstates near you in the not so distant future.

Pictures: Flikr, Flickr, MySanAntonio