Sometimes, he simply gets on a horse in Ghost of Tsushima or Red Dead Redemption 2 and rides. I’m just soaking in the scenery,” says the 32-year-old gamer. In Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA and Uncharted, he often finds himself abandoning the objective simply to wander through the world.
For Anas Ali, co-founder of Delhi’s Delulu Gaming Cafe, a game does not always need a mission to keep him playing. “Half the time I’m not even thinking about the next mission.
Microsoft Flight Simulator lets players take to the skies over real-world cities and landscapes, while Euro Truck Simulator 2 turns long-distance road journeys across Europe into the game itself. Forza Horizon 5 places players in a sprawling realisitc world inspired by Mexico, while The Crew Motorfest uses a recreation of Hawaii as its open-world driving playground. Mumbai-based gamer and Nexinno director Aarya Naik, 23, sees it as more than virtual travel. For gamer Abin S Varughese, 29, the distinction depends on the game.
Because it allows players to explore actual cities, landscapes and landmarks, while titles such as Uncharted and Tomb Raider offer worlds created for exploration, Microsoft Flight Simulator feels much closer to virtual travel. Because of financial, physical or personal limitations, that accessibility can make virtual exploration meaningful in its own right, for people who cannot travel frequently.
“A video game gives you hands-on control even if it is within the limited framework of the game,” he says. “For me, it’s mainly the freedom to roam around and experience a place on my own terms,” he says. As Sandeep puts it, technology can reproduce appearance, but cannot fully recreate “scale, human contact, atmosphere or the personal meaning that comes from actually being somewhere.”
That urge to simply go somewhere is becoming an interesting part of gaming. hop.earth takes the idea almost literally, allowing players to drive through roads mapped from real-world geography. In each case, the destination is no longer merely the backdrop to a game, instead exploring it is part of the overall experience. Architecture, weather, lighting, sound and, most importantly, the freedom to decide where to go can make a virtual location feel alive. That freedom is also what sets gaming apart from watching a travel vlog or scrolling through photographs. Players can choose their routes, interact with their surroundings and experience a place rather than simply observe it. That sense of freedom can also make virtual exploration surprisingly accessible. There are no flight tickets, hotel bookings, visa requirements or leave applications. A player can explore several countries in one evening, revisit a favourite route or simply drive around without worrying about time or money. Perhaps it can also provide something real travel sometimes cannot. Control! Physical journeys involve traffic, crowds, delays, expenses and uncertainty. In a virtual world, players can stop, change direction and repeat a journey whenever they want. Yet a virtual journey still has its limits. Real travel comes with weather, food, smells, language, people and the unpredictable moments that often become the best memories of a trip.