To quote a poignant line from Ground Hog Day, "don't drive angry!" But that is exactly what video game players do. A new study by UK-based tire manufacturer Continental Tyres found that people who spend time playing driving games are more dangerous when behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
The study cited Gran Turismo and Grand Theft Auto as two games that had a particularly bad influence on players. In other words, they took the virtual driving skills out into the real world. The study asked 2,000 motorists (half gamers, half non-gamers) between the ages of 17 and 39 on their driving habits. Though gamers believe they are more skilled than the average driver, many also say they take higher risks and making more claims on their insurance as a result.
"Gamers take more risks than non-gamers, possibly due to the lack of real consequences in the game," said Tim Bailey, safety expert at Continental Tyres.
Maybe that's true. Of course taking a survey isn't definitive proof that gamers are worse at driving than non-gamers. Continental Tyres might want to conduct a road test among gamers and non-gamers..
Source: Jalopnik
Comments
Re: Gamers Are Horrible Drivers, Says Survey
I call this study useless for several reason
1) Video game driving isn't as good as real life.. not to mention most people play with controller. And even with a wheel, the sensitivity of it is significantly different from a real car. a little turn on the wheel and you turn a little, a little turn on a video game, you go off rails.. fast.
2) Since we know it's not real, people drive like maniacs because of it. "What If I do this? ooh! let's do something stupid!"
3) If they really want to make a study like this, then get 2 sets of people, gamers and those who never played video games (or played so little it doesn't matter). Then both sets drive on a virtual/game setting, and then with a real car.
The methodology of this study is.. what's the proper scientific term...? Solid waste excreated by a bovine!
Come on, the Mythbusters have better testing methodologies than these guys.. and they get quite a lot of things wrong, mind you!
Re: Gamers Are Horrible Drivers, Says Survey
"Gamers take more risks than non-gamers, possibly due to the lack of real consequences in the game,"
Uh-huh, sure. And baseball players are shoplifters because they are always stealing bases.
-Ultimately what will do in mankind is a person's fear of their own freedom-
Re: Gamers Are Horrible Drivers, Says Survey
Correlation != causation
-Greevar
-Greevar
"Paste superficially profound, but utterly meaningless quotation here."
Re: Gamers Are Horrible Drivers, Says Survey
given the difficulty of GTA's driving controls, it's not surprising that GTA was cited in the "study". a conversation between me and a friend of mine about a mission in Vice City where you're drunk and you drive someone to a hospital had him saying something along the lines of "you've seen how I drive when [my character is] sober, how can it get any harder [in the game]?"
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Re: Gamers Are Horrible Drivers, Says Survey
Here's a crazy thought... maybe, just maybe, those people who like to take more risk's when they drive play those kinds of racing games BECAUSE they like driving fast and taking risks... Like as if they like to play the kinds of games that fit their pre-existing interests. Yeah, it's an insane thought I know...
Re: Gamers Are Horrible Drivers, Says Survey
That is my basic guess too.
I would be interested to see if such a study were redone taking a wide group of people who were not already playing such games and had half start a routine of play and see if driving behavior changed.