Schneider’s instructors were surprised. How were rookies with little road experience maneuvering big rigs like they’d done this before?
So began an unlikely outreach from an American logistics company to the niche community of gamers that play simulation video games like “American Truck Simulator,” which allows enthusiasts to play out the routine of a long-haul truck driver in a surprisingly detailed recreation of America’s highways.Those virtual highways will now feature billboard advertisements encouraging players to take their trucking skills to the real world and drive for Schneider, the video game’s developerslast week.
The popularity of truck-driving simulators surprised even “American Truck Simulator” developers at first. SCS Software, a small video game studio in the Czech Republic, entered the genre almost by accident after players responded positively to a simple truck-driving game the company developed around 20 years ago, CEO Pavel Sebor told The Post.
Re-creating a job known for turnover and long, grueling assignments might seem like an odd draw for a video game. But Sebor said many players aren’t trucking enthusiasts and instead are drawn by the calming quality of the gameplay in “American Truck Simulator.” Winding down a California highway at dusk is more relaxing than duking it out in a shooter or street-racing game, he said.“It’s a lot of time that you can spend driving into the sunset or enjoying the countryside,” Sebor said.