Driving towards new memories in Forza

There's this moment in the first (Tobey Maguire) Spider-Man film that my brother and I have turned into one of our in-jokes. Peter Parker's Uncle Ben, played by Regis Philbin, insists on driving him to wherever he needs to go at one point, using the excuse that he "needs the exercise". To drive a car. Which, you know, involves the core of the human body staying put.

Yet here I am, exhorting an even lazier form of exercise. But driving through the different realities of the Forza racing games is so much more relaxing than staring through endless TV episodes or using a meditation app. And it's transporting in a couple of ways.

You might have those specific games to wind back with your favourite songs and podcasts. I do. And for me, the alchemy of it all rests with my generic "liked" playlist being listened to at night as the worlds of Forza glide past. So many songs keep contrasting and complementing the feelings I have with whatever seems to be happening on screen. Sometimes these games collide with the music to bend space and time, and I find myself recalling all sorts of minute details from the past, even as I drive through locations I wish I could instantly visit.

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