It will just be a bunch of Kart Racing games like Mario Kart and Sanic All Star racing

Bad football example. My assumption was that the people most passionate about racing games, especially sims, are so because they learned to drive themselves and as such can appreciate driving in games more. My theory is that with fewer and fewer people actually driving cars, the appreciation for driving and cars itself will reach an all time low.

I for once do not give a shit about cars or driving, yet I'm still enjoying racing games. But that's because in the time I live, driving is actually a mainstream thing that people do and that requires some amount of skill.

Even though I myself might be a counter to this theory I think it still holds up. While today it actually requires skill, it won't that much in the future because of all the technological assists even in manual cars.

Then again, it could also turn out to be a boost because driving has become a thing that you can't easily do in real life anymore. Hence my question^^

So racing will become a new genre, "Vehicular Slaughter". That would be fun because stupid self driving cars won't allow that.

I've never driven a car either, and it's not necessarily skill that makes me enjoy a game. Speeding through a city at high speed in a vehicle is just inherently fun. I dont' think you need to ever do something or even ever see someone do something to have fun doing it in a game.

You can have fun with completely fictional vehicles the activity is fun regardless. Mech's, Spaceships, Goats (goat simulator). Moving an entity in a game is fun, the physics behind it is fun. It doesn't need to have a parrallel in real life to be enjoyed.

I guess my question was more directed towards simulation like games rather than Burnout style or fun racers. Crazy racing games will always have a place.

I just think it's a fun thought of how the future will change the mainstream's perception of cars in general. Because right now I feel that cars have a very high standing in mainstream perception and part of it is that people actually drive them and not everyone can and there is a skill element. Once everyone can operate a car without any skill barrier they may lose appreciation and be degradated like any other household appliance.

It's possible the really hardcore racing simulators that mainly use street cars will be much less popular. Games based on motorsports (Formula One, Nascar) will still be around as long as their respective sports are. But yeah you might be right, the games that market themselves to the real hardcore car fans and as simulations like Project Cars or maybe even Gran Turismo/Forza may be in trouble.

Racing Sims that aren't based on a motorsport might suffer.

F-Zero will remain while anything else will slowly vanish