It’s a tranquil morning on the coast of a superrealistic version of Mexico’s Riviera Maya in Forza Horizon 5 — or it would be if not for my lipstick red Lamborghini blazing an illicit path through the beach.

The whine of the car’s high-octane engine drowns out the sound of ocean waves lapping against the shore, and its tires kick white sand everywhere. Not that anyone seems to mind. The beachside cafes and resort hotels are all curiously empty except for a man in a tank top perched on a lifeguard tower. He doesn’t even flinch as the vehicle careens toward him like a bullet at a hundred miles per hour.

The feeling is mutual. I’m laser-focused on the thousands of points the game announces that I’ve just been awarded for skidding my golden Lambo back-and-forth along the beach — it’s a “Supreme Drift,” I’m told. Then I immediately speed into a lounge chair and gain a thousand destruction points, which can be used to earn prizes. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally win that expensive new Aston Martin supercar so I can outpace my online friends. It’s impossible to feel bored. I’ve clocked four straight hours but it’s felt like minutes.