Gamer and real-life driver Mike Channell on his love of all things racing.
In this week’s episode of Nitro Nights, Tom Deacon meets Mike Channell – a British racing enthusiast who seems to have done it all! From creating content about sim racing for Top Gear, to filming a documentary about his first steps into real (and according to Mike, expensive!) racing, he offers insights into every aspect of motorsports.
A passion for arcade and retro games
In the ‘Quick Fire Question Round’, Mike reveals that his first taste of gaming came from Formula One Grand Prix on the Atari ST console. But it was arcade games that really sparked his passion. He loved the 3D graphics of games such as Daytona 24 and Ridge Racer which were a “quantum leap” from anything you could play at home. Nowadays, an Xbox or PlayStation can offer the same thrills from the comfort of your own living room, but the Brit misses the old-school games and turns to retro racers like Hotshot Racing to get his fix.
Combining virtual and real-life content
When asked by Tom about virtual and real-life racing, Mike replies that for him, “the two are intertwined”. His initial love of cars originated from playing Gran Turismo in his youth. Similarly, when he discovered a motorsports series, he would head to the shops to see if there was a game version of it. He also produces content for the two genres in exactly the same way – he aims to convey his enthusiasm through media, and hopefully act as a catalyst to bring new fans to racing.
Afterwards, Tom and Mike discuss the top social media posts from the week, before Tom takes on the ‘Hot Lap’ on Trackmania. How will he get on?
There is so much to see this week! So, buckle up and tune in to episode 21 of Nitro Nights!
Follow our guest Mike Channell on social media:
Twitter
Outside Xbox Youtube channel
