Do racing games negatively affect driving habits?

[Skybird]

link

Now I would like to see such a study getting done for tank simulations , and flight simulations!

Do sim-tankers take more risks in real battle? Even if that is the case, you hardly can prove that, for they probably do not live to tell.

[Sledgehammer427]

I do sim racing, and while I can agree with this

“Playing computer driving games means good concentration levels and improved reaction times

I don't like to see that it would negatively impact my driving.
while, yes, I have done a couple track days and racing games taught me a lot, I leave my driving there, every now and then I might heel-toe downshift into a corner to make sure i still remember how to do it, but other than that, I drive safely.

[Growler]

I grew up playing flight sims; never got into the whole driving game scene.

Regardless, I've been told on several occasions that my driving reflexes are phenomenal; if this is indeed so (since I really never thought to do a comparison, nor am I sure of how I'd do such a thing), then I would attribute the development of those reflexes, to some degree, to time spent in a virtual cockpit.

[GoldenRivet]

When i was 23 years old i played Nascar Racing 4 like it was going out of style (i guess because it was going out of style)

At the time, i can say most assuredly that it did in fact negatively affect my driving habits.

Its hard to notice it until you step back and take a look, but you catch yourself trying to get away with 10-15 mph over the speed limit constantly, or on an S-Turn on the highway when other cars are not around i would hug the insides of the turn not reducing my speed.

I think the age and experience level of the person playing the racing game has a lot to do with how easily influenced they are by it.

now with 9 more years under my belt, I'm not so susceptible to such influences.

I think if a person were to study the driving habits of 18-24 year old males... for a 6 month period without any video games - then study their driving habits for a 6 month period while playing at least one or two hours of racing games per day the results might be surprising.

[tater]

GR, as a teenager I drove like that all the time, and we didn't have racing games in the modern sense, only this:

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by tater

GR, as a teenager I drove like that all the time, and we didn't have racing games in the modern sense, only this:

which validates my long time argument that 16 year old kids are too young and immature to drive regardless of the whether or not they play video games that promote bad driving habits.

I have always felt that way

on a side note i think it is TOTAL BS that you can go to some far off hell and die for your country but you cannot legally order a beer.

screw that... i think the drinking age should be lowered to 18 or at least lowered to 18 for individuals with valid military IDs

[MaddogK]

Originally Posted by tater

GR, as a teenager I drove like that all the time, and we didn't have racing games in the modern sense, only this:

SPRINT !!! Loved that friggin game.

To the topic: Is it a bad thing to hone your driving skills via a racing game, then drive better than the average joker on the streets IRL ?? Tho racing sims have made me a bit more aggressive at times some of the skills I've honed in the sims have saved my arse on real world streets.

I do however pay more attention to my aggressiveness during real world driving.

[tater]

My wife and I are thinking of taking a vacation to a racing school, actually (her idea!). It's bloody expensive though for just a couple days, hard to justify.

Probably we watch too much Top Gear

[MaddogK]

LOL @ Top Gear.
The only time I sat thru an entire episode was when they were testing the 3 Lambo's against each other.

Going to Skip Barbers school ?? Wish I could afford it, lucky dog.

[tater]

Thinking about it.

[XabbaRus]

I was taken a back when talking to US exchange students how many of them would have a drink and then drive a car, and the impression I got was that as they had been driving since the age of 16 that by the time they could drink they could handle it.

Here in the UK given the driving age is 17 and the the drinking age is 18 there is less drink driving as it is drummed into you about the consequences. It actually seems more prevalent amongst middle agers in the UK.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

I was taken a back when talking to US exchange students how many of them would have a drink and then drive a car, and the impression I got was that as they had been driving since the age of 16 that by the time they could drink they could handle it.

Here in the UK given the driving age is 17 and the the drinking age is 18 there is less drink driving as it is drummed into you about the consequences. It actually seems more prevalent amongst middle agers in the UK.

Well if you made homework a risque and sneaky adult thing... teenagers would be getting excellent grades in school

Fact is, from as early as 13, my dad used to hand me a beer while we were working on a car or sitting around watching a movie or whatever... it became this "no big deal" sort of thing.

If parents were to approach it like that - i think more young people would be more "adult" or more "mature" about drinking alcohol and less likely to drink without considering the consequences - or to drink and drive etc.

the thing about forbidden pleasures - is that they are much more desirable than the pleasures that are easily had, and as long as people treat casual consumption of alcohol as this sort of mysterious adults only play thing - teens are going to be increasingly attracted to it.

[Catfish]

Certainly, like with racing games my regular dosis of playing SH5 has made me sink all kinds of ships in reality, no really !
Not to mention i have become a serial killer after playing Wolfenstein or other games like it.
I only have the problem that in between all this time murdering people with all kinds of hardware (wait i forget Tank battles and Warthog) i seldomly find time to drive around with my car any more.


Greetings,
Catfish

[Sailor Steve]

I knew a kid who grew up playing the Gran Turismo series. When he was old enough to drive he didn't spend every moment on the road acting like it was a race.

He did, however, not quite have a grip on the reality of taking damage. One day he drove up the narrow street and pulled into the driveway, going over the curb still making 30 mph. Dad ended up replacing the entire left-side front-end assembly.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Certainly, like with racing games my regular dosis of playing SH5 has made me sink all kinds of ships in reality, no really !
Not to mention i have become a serial killer after playing Wolfenstein or other games like it.
I only have the problem that in between all this time murdering people with all kinds of hardware (wait i forget Tank battles and Warthog) i seldomly find time to drive around with my car any more.


Greetings,
Catfish

I know you jest... but it is a known fact that certain simulations are used to train people and modify behavior. and that is the question at hand. if computer simulations were not capable of causing people to act a certain way, the military, the shipping industry, and the airlines etc wouldn't use them for the purposes they use them for.

No, i dont think people are so detached from reality that they would become a serial killer by playing something like Call of Duty. Nor do i think an individual might become a serial ship sinker by playing silent hunter 3.

*however*

I do think that a person who plays a great deal of call of duty or Silent Hunter 3 for example - might be much more inclined to join the Army or the Navy than a person who does not play such games.

Playing Silent Hunter 3 and becoming interested in the history of the war in the Atlantic has caused me to read half a dozen books on the subject that i otherwise might have skipped over in the book store without the influence of the subsim genre. Therefore, in some way - i was influenced by the simulation.

Additionally; Though i had always been interested in airplanes, i had my career sights firmly set on being an architect - had my father not purchased Microsoft Flight Simulator for me in my early teens... i might not have become a big fan of the MSFS Series and ultimately i may not have chosen aviation as a career path over architecture.

Additionally, i think it also boils down to personality types. People who are anti-social or Sociopaths - diagnosed or otherwise - might be more inclined to cave into the influences of video games than individuals without those personality traits.

In the grand scheme of things, i not only think it is possible that racing simulations affect driving habits... i think it is highly probable that they affect driving habits. and the amount of their effects are directly proportional to the exposure to the racing simulation. A person who plays one hour of racing simulation a month will have little or no influence on their driving habits when compared to a person who plays one hour (or more) of racing simulation per day.

Yes, it could be argued that teens drive like A-holes already. a great many... perhaps as many as 90% of them do drive like maniacs; despite the fact that dozens will come out of the wood work to post in this thread to the contrary - insisting that they are excellent drivers.

and they may very well be good drivers. but for every one of them, there are thousands who are terrible drivers. They are terrible drivers because of numerous factors, teens tend to drive with their emotions out of check much more often than adult drivers. Teens tend to overlook the consequences of their actions in almost every activity - including driving - more so than adult drivers.And the bottom line is that they are inexperienced in the activity of driving - woefully so. The reality of it is, that this has been numerous studies and the results of those studies have caused insurance companies to charge a higher premium for drivers under the age of 25.

As a flight instructor, i have used simulation to expose bad habits in flying and reinforce good habits in flying. and for that reason, i think racing simulations also have a positive impact on the way a person operates an automobile.

Though i think there are many negative impacts on driver habits... i also think exposure to racing simulation may cause drivers to drive more "defensively".

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I knew a kid who grew up playing the Gran Turismo series. When he was old enough to drive he didn't spend every moment on the road acting like it was a race.

as reinforcement to my above personality trait comment... i knew a kid who grew up playing the Gran Turismo series as well. He routinely achieved 100+ MPH on the local highway - and always applied the breaks very heavily into turns - waiting until he was right on the turn to decelerate. I can only assume either he was a moron - or he was influences by the GT Series - or both.