Owning a virtual horse is no short-term commitment. If you want to raise it to race and prosper, then you have to use your loving care and time to ensure it reaches its full potential. Seriously. You have to do your homework on its genetic history and work out the best way to train it in its virtual stables before you can hope to evaluate which race and events to enter.. Essentially, it is all in the details, making it as close to the science and art of raising equine thoroughbreds on your own computer as is possible. Heck, one site speaks of over 3 trillion potential genetic combinations that will influence the qualities of your newborn foal. Talk about leaving nothing to chance, which is slightly ironic given the nature of chance inherent in all gaming scenarios.
Depending on the particular game you have chosen, you then have to go about finding a suitable jockey. Once you have built up your stable of horses, you then have to run it like a proper business and prepare for your races with research into form and conditions just as you would a real race. So why have thousands upon thousands of men and women from all around the globe taken their love of horse racing so far into this cyber space alternative reality? Well, just like in real horse racing, there is money to win and lose and it’s just darn exciting!
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Only a few deluded souls would really see the races as a reasonable way to try to earn your living. There are those obsessives that probably manage OK placing bets, but the rest of their life has usually fallen at the first fence. So it is the appeal of pretending to be the race horse trainer you always dreamed of being as a kid and seeing your horse win a major race or, better yet, complete for a triple crown somewhere in the virtual world.
It’s about seeing those pixels you have lovingly tended to become the snorting, proud beast doing battle with all the other 3D competitors on your monitor. It’s about being able to dream, and possibly believe, that given the right circumstances, you may have had the ability to become a ‘real’ wealthy owner of a successful stable of horses. It’s about trying to outsmart your opponent and leave the race meeting feeling good about your prowess as a trainer of thoroughbreds.
If you haven’t looked into the wonderful world of owning a virtual horse, then it’s well worth a peek – if only to be amazed at the sheer number and dedication of those involved. Next time your daughter asks for a pony, perhaps you can show her how to breed a virtual one. It may not work to begin with, but when she doesn’t have to shovel horse muck on a cold and frosty morning, she’ll be thanking you for it!
