ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that racing games are situated in a space between reality and fantasy: a cinematic realism, or "cine-real," "a sense of immersion and believability within a fantasy world" that is supported through its music and sound design. It shows that audio plays a particularly strong role in both the presentation of 'reality' and the narrative arc in the games. At the heart of the auditory cine-realism is the use of sound and music to both fill a gap left by the lack of sensory information presented to the player, and for narrative purposes. The chapter describes the narrative use of music and sound in racing games is one of the key features that distinguishes racing games from straight simulations. The fundamental aspect of racing games is to test the driving skill of the player. Racing games present a wide variety of ways of testing a player's skill at high speeds, to modified road cars and Formula One championship cars.
