by Bob Carson

Editor’s Note: The USTA Web site is pleased to present freelance writer Bob Carson and his popular “Outside the Box” features. This monthly series is a menu of outlandish proposals presented with a wink — but the purpose behind them is serious. The views contained in this column are that of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of the United States Trotting Association.

In other discussions Oct. 13, horseplayers told conference attendees that horseracing is the ultimate “video game” with potential life-changing scores, but the industry fails to capitalize on it. Also, racetracks were told if they don’t switch to high-definition television, their product would become less desirable in the sports entertainment marketplace. — International Simulcast Conference, 2009

Bob Carson

Shut down your Legend of Zelda, Halo 3, Final Fantasy, Super Mario and Wii. Boot up harness racing on your computers and PDA’s. Our game is much more realistic. We will challenge your intellect and, here’s the kicker, you can make money playing the racing game.

As a non-gamer, my research into the world of computer gaming took three days of research (clicking on various gaming sites and messing around the internet). Computer gaming is an amazing world, a huge world with big money.

The gravitational pull of this world rests on psychological principals of human behavior. Many of the basic principles that drive the gaming industry are applicable to playing our beloved harness racing. Video screens, PDA’s and the recently released Apple I-Pad could be perfect for playing with horses. Live horse racing and complex video integration are a marriage waiting to happen.

According to 2008 statistics from the Computer and Video Game Industry, the average number of years that adult gamers have been playing is 13. The average game player is 35 years old. The average age of a video game purchaser is 40. More than 25 percent of gamers are over 50. And this one is a shocker — women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game playing population than boys under 18.

Autumn Ryan graphic

Dragon Rising, Critter Crunch, World of Warcraft, and The Sims might be getting a bit stale. You are probably due for a new game. Let us introduce you and your disposable income to the wonderful world of pacers and trotters in cyberspace.

These days, more and more of our new players — we refer to them as harness racing handicappers — are sitting behind their computer screens and flat screens. Like you, they have discovered that spending time in the physical, emotional and psychological comfort of your home is important. No longer is horse racing handicapped by geography. Today, no matter where you live or play, cyber-harness racing is available. And here is the key — our game plays well on the Internet.

Gamers know they love to play computer games, but they may not know why they love to play. Game makers are acutely aware of the emotional triggers, the rewards, the sounds, the sights and the countless other reasons that getting lost in the World of Zelda has become a big part of your life. The livelihoods of the game manufacturers depend upon making entertainment products that satisfy your needs. They are constantly experimenting and testing products in hope of creating a buzz and a market.

Let’s examine some of the tenets that go into making a game addictive. After we look at why gamers play, the case can be made that playing with us harness racing junkies may answer your needs and actually increase your pleasure.

Ask a gamer why they play and most will mumble, “The games are fun.” Video game researchers would use a slightly more complex reason: “Video games are entertainment that provide a sense of freedom and connection to other people.”

However, video games that are merely “fun” aren’t the most addictive types of games. Researchers and game constructors (a massive, competitive and complex industry) are constantly trying to get to a higher level. They know that players find that games with a sense of achievement, positive experiences, and connections to the real world are the flagships of the gaming world. This trio of triggers (achievement, positive experience and real world connection) should ring a bell with the harness racing industry. Correctly wagering on a horse is not merely realistic, it is real; and selecting the correct horse fills the player with a sense of achievement.

The fastest growing gaming segment of video gamers should be very, very interesting to horse racing — massive multiplayer online or MMO. MMO allows hundreds of thousands of gamers to play simultaneously. It is becoming obvious that massive multiplayer online fulfills the need for relatedness and a sense of presence, as well as increased game enjoyment.

Pari-mutuel wagering was an early prototype of MMO, a game that allowed large groups of people to compete against each other. Alas, for decades we were limited to the racetrack. In the digital world, the Internet allows this pari-mutuel concept to spread. Horse racing is, and always has been, about testing our skills against other people. We call this pari-mutuel wagering. Wagering allows the successful player to collect both tangible and intangible rewards. Video gamers will find a lot to like in harness racing — primarily competition against other players in the anonymity of their own home.

Some in the racing game will say that we already have racing and wagering on the computer. They are correct, but they have not immersed themselves in the video gamer’s world. Our presentation is relatively static — utilitarian. To the gamer, horse racing on the Internet is primitive. Horse racing in the digital world has not mastered the audio cues, the risk/reward paradigms, colors, speed, sound tracks and all the bells and whistles that go into a full-blown digital environment.

Video game constructors are incredibly ingenious. Horse racing has all the ingredients and a great game creator could soon have the harness horse gamer sitting in the sulky with the hoof beats pounding, music playing and dirt flying past.

Once you have the player in the sulky they will want to wager. This is where, with a fully multi-dimensional digital presentation, horse racing can separate from the pack. So here are two suggestions for friends in the gaming world:

• If you are a video game designer looking to hit one out of the park, try combining our real time, live, pari-mutuel, and historic sport with your three-d digital dreams.
• If you are a gamer, you might want to slow down a touch and try harness racing; we are a massively multiplayer online game where the rewards are more than moving up a level or finding your way out of a maze.

Author’s Note: This is the latest artice in my “Pay It Forward” series.

Hopefully you will find the unusual articles mildly interesting, but they will be aimed at diverse groups such as unsuspecting business people, internet gamers, retirees, crossword puzzle solvers, Bolivians, casino players, etc. These articles will attempt to nudge these groups to take a look at harness racing — but they cannot nudge if they are not read.

When these unorthodox pieces appear on the USTA Web site, your task is to send them on their way to any possible person who does not know about our wonderful sport.