MERIDIAN, Idaho — The video game industry has created a new source of lucrative attention for hot rod designers.
- Video game industry did $225 billion in 2022.
- That's eight times the amount Hollywood took in.
- Designer David Eckert built a Mach 40 that was featured in Gran Turismo 7.
- Eckert broght the custom car to the Boise Roadster show this year.
- The car is a mix between a Ford GT and a 1969 Ford Mustang.
The gaming industry is worth more than the music and movie industries combined. A recent visitor to the Treasure Valley is taking advantage of that popularity to make his business even bigger and faster than that Ferrari.
The hot rod community has always thrived because of America’s undying devotion to car culture, but the gaming world has poured gasoline on the fire.
"It’s gigantic, it’s a gigantic industry and here we go we’re talking about electric cars, we're talking about the future of ai and the kids: what better way to get driving skills than video games," said David Eckert, owner of Eckert's Rod and Custom.
In fact, the global video game industry was worth 225 billion dollars in 2022. That’s eight times bigger than the movie industry which used to be the goal for car builders to get attention for their cars.
Designer David Eckert got this modern take on a '69 Mustang in Gran Turismo years ago and says the attention it brought is huge.
"Anybody can hop in that car and drive it. They can smash it, and just reset, then keep on going... My grandson plays the game and has the car in the game and he plays it all the time," said Eckert.
Gran Turismo even made history by creating an online racing team that eventually had some serious success on the real track. They even made a movie about it. Go figure.
The great thing about driving a car online that exists in real life is you can customize it anyway you want. As if it doesn't look cool enough already.
