Can you imagine having to give up driving? It’s difficult now, but once your senior years kick in and your vision and hand-eye coordination begin to take a hit, it’s a very legitimate possibility.
Thankfully, with the help of countless driving simulators in the video game market, there’s a way for older gearheads to continue their passion. Urabe Yamamoto, who used to drive taxis and garbage trucks before having to give up his driver’s license in his 80s, is a perfect example of this. Watch:
“He had lived his whole life with cars, but now he can’t drive anymore,” Koutarou Yamamoto, Urabe’s grandson, explains in a video by the South China Morning Post. “So I wanted to let him drive again.”
Instead of ferrying people around in a taxi, the 93-year-old has taken his skill behind the wheel to the virtual world, racing against other gamers online with help from his grandson. The duo actually has a YouTube channel up that has racked up millions of views.
“I bought the steering wheel controller for myself to play with, it is how my grandpa started to play with it,” the younger Yamamoto said. “I’m really happy that he enjoys it. Also, I think I was able to get him moving more than before.”
Well, that’s one surefire way to keep your driving skills sharp in your advanced years. What console and racing sim would you choose to do this with once you’re too old to be behind the wheel of an actual car? Maybe by then, we’ll actually have PlayStation 5s in stock.
