UK gamer breaks world record after playing Forza for two days
When you think of endurance driving, what springs to mind? The Dakar Rally? Le Mans? The M25 at rush-hour?
Five gamers thought that racing cars around a French track for an entire day wasn’t much of a challenge, so they decided to break a world record by driving (virtually) for more than 48 hours.
The group used Forza Motorsport 6 on an Xbox One to race around the Le Sarthe circuit in a Ford GT and set a new Guinness World Record for “longest video marathon on a racing game”.
The challenge was completed by Cara Scott, from the UK; Johnnes Knapp, from Germany; Jesus Sicilia, from Spain; Helene Cressot, from France; and Andrea Lorenzo Sacchinetti, from Italy. They started at 1pm (UK time) on Tuesday at Ford’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany, and finished at 1.29pm on Thursday, after completing about 3,015 laps – or 41,004km – of the track.
The gamers, who used a special Forza steering wheel by Fanatec and gaming pedals, were allowed a 10-minute break for every hour they played. To ensure they could get some sleep during the night, these breaks could be saved up for later, so they could have a 40-minute break if they played continuously for four hours. They could also drive at whatever speed they wanted.
During the event, the competitors consumed:
- 32 cans of energy drinks
- 47 Coca-Colas
- 16 fruit juices
- 146 bottles of water
- 3kg of Haribo sweets
- 500g of crisps
- A few packets of energy sweets
Cara Scott, from the UK
Scott, 25, from Dundee, said the hardest part was the first night.
“I didn’t think I was going to be able to go back after taking a break. That first night was tough. We played for four hours and then had a 40-minute break, then played six hours and had another break around midnight. I just tried to get through that night. Then the sun started to come up and everyone’s spirits lifted.
“We played Forza so much that during breaks it felt weird not to be playing it.”
Although she has played Forza before, “you can’t really prepare for something like that”. “I’m an Xbox fan, so I played the track the weekend before the event, but that was on Forza 5. I don’t have Forza 6, so I was just hoping it would be the same,” said Scott, who used an Xbox controller during the record attempt.”
Now she’s in the Guinness Book of World Records. But despite the fact she is sharing pages with Usain Bolt and world-famous explorers, Scott hasn’t let it go to her head.
“It’s really cool but I feel like I’ve cheated because all I’ve done is sat down for a few hours. I’ve just played Xbox, which is what I would have done anyway.”
So is she going to keep playing Forza on Xbox?
“I was walking around Gamescom thinking I should be feeling like I never want to play another racing game ever again. But then I saw Forza Horizon 3. I really want that.”
Xbox’s Le Mans controllers
“Two days of race gaming is a superlative effort,” said Lena Kuhlman, an official adjudicator at Guinness World Records. “The endurance of the gamers is remarkable. They were engaged, concentrating and having fun even after the record was broken.”
The record-breaking event is the latest partnership between Microsoft, which publishes Forza, and Ford. Last year, Xbox unveiled three special edition Xbox One controllers to commemorate Ford’s Le Mans victories in the 1960s.
The challenge was held alongside Gamescom, which is also being held in Cologne this week. Xbox kicked off its presence at the world’s largest video game show by announcing a new FIFA bundle.
A history of Xbox
[timeline-express]