Monday, March 19th 2007

Racing games increase likeliness of destructive driving decisions in the real world

by
zekrahminator
 Discuss (65 Comments)
German researchers have recently conducted a study to determine the effects of games that promote risky decisions on real-world driving. These researchers took a batch of subjects (both women and men), and divided them into three groups. The first group played first person shooter games, such as Medal of Honor. The second group played more calming/family-oriented games, like Crash Bandicoot. The third group played hardcore racing games such as Need For Speed. All test subjects got to play these games on a Sony PlayStation 2 on a gigantic 72" television. The results of this experiment drew parallels between racing games that promoted violent/risky decisions in the game and violent/risky decisions in real life. First person shooters and family-oriented games did next to nothing to a subject's driving ability. However, racing games did a ton to a subject's actual driving.

Playing these video games does the following things to a person's driving:
  • Increases the accessibility of thoughts that are positively related to risk taking.
  • Leads to enhanced arousal and excitement.
  • Increases risk-taking behaviour in critical road traffic situations.
While both sexes showed these behavior changes, only men actually bothered to apply what they learned racing in Need For Speed in real-world traffic situations. Granted, this experiment had one major flaw that could skewer results: subjects were only watched while driving in dangerous situations, not during regular driving. For all we know, females may apply the "enhanced arousal and excitement" to real-world driving, while males only get aroused while driving in heavy traffic.

If you'd like to read the full study, please do so here.
Source: Reg Hardware

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65 Comments on Racing games increase likeliness of destructive driving decisions in the real world

#51
Azn Tr14dZ
Let me ask you guys, do you drive the same day and night, or do you find yourself more aware and careful during night-time driving?
Posted on Reply
#52
tkpenalty
honestly, drifting, burnouts, all these fads came out way before video games were realistic enough to allow these feats to be done. It is human nature for adolescents to be agressive and make bad descisions, not games. Most guys who are involved in crashes usually dont do any significant amount of gaming.

One of the major causes: Frustration, especially in australia, I want to start my Ls next year but the govenment decides we need more than 120 hours to be liable to start Ps.... now, how annoying is that? I will get my lisence when i'm god damn 22 not 18. Thats a few years wasted. Whats worse is that my car, some crappy 626 SOHC with a small turbo is something I can't drive, regardless of the lack of power, wtf?

Now after removing the limitations on turbos... the fatality and accident rate in australia has almost doubled T_T...
Azn Tr14dZLet me ask you guys, do you drive the same day and night, or do you find yourself more aware and careful during night-time driving?
I would drive slower at night
Posted on Reply
#53
WarEagleAU
Bird of Prey
Honestly, I didnt read the 35 posts that were more than a paragraph long, but I can tell you, that driving games do NOT influence my driving decisions. Simply put, I know real from fantasy. They blew alot of money researching this crap. Im sure they pocketed more than half of it
Posted on Reply
#54
demonbrawn
Originally posted by tkpenalty:

honestly, drifting, burnouts, all these fads came out way before video games were realistic enough to allow these feats to be done. It is human nature for adolescents to be agressive and make bad descisions, not games. Most guys who are involved in crashes usually dont do any significant amount of gaming.

One of the major causes: Frustration, especially in australia, I want to start my Ls next year but the govenment decides we need more than 120 hours to be liable to start Ps.... now, how annoying is that? I will get my lisence when i'm god damn 22 not 18. Thats a few years wasted. Whats worse is that my car, some crappy 626 SOHC with a small turbo is something I can't drive, regardless of the lack of power, wtf?

Now after removing the limitations on turbos... the fatality and accident rate in australia has almost doubled T_T...
tk, I think you're right in that adolescents have the innate desire to be aggressive (well, boys at least), but at the same time, it has been proven that things like games and movies will only fuel the fire. For instance, when the movie (loooong before the game) "The Warriors" came out, several movie theaters stopped showing it because after the movie let out, several fights would break out and it was just because lots of people were hyped up and had fighting on their minds. Now, how crazy is that? I think it is possible that driving games can make someone want to drive fast. Hey, even my dad says that when he takes his convertible for a spin after playing Burnout.
Posted on Reply
#55
Chewy
I guess it depends from person to person :P One thing for sure is to be able to control your desires and not go over the limit, have some fun but be responsable and respect surounding traffic.
Posted on Reply
#56
Taz100420
I def know fantasy from reality. I drive safe in my Fiero(yea you know what I mean) Its a 4-speed stick and is WAY more fun to drive than any automatic I have drove and I was a Valet for a fancy ass steakhouse in Indy. For an 84 vehicle, I drove from Indianapolis to Fremont, ohio(300ish miles) on $17 worth of gas in a 10 gallon tank with prices of $2.30/gal. When I drive at night, I have to watch for deer, deadly for me.
Posted on Reply
#57
Dippyskoodlez
zekrahminatorIn my opinion, if you'd like to drive economically, get a stick shift :). A small list of advantages:
  • You have much more control over the vehicle
  • The vehicle has less mass
  • There's less crap making friction in the transmission, unless you have a nearly-dead clutch
  • Once you learn stick, you'll be much better with automatics (you'll know exactly how to use the advantages of automatics, and then you can go right back to playing with a manual)
  • There's nothing quite like accelerating from 30 to 65 as you're merging into highway traffic :).
??

you seriously can do everything in an automatic, just as a manual.

Its just different in /how/ you do it.

Manual gets finer control of when to shift, but only slightly, in comparison to a new car.

Highway acceleration is fun, but can be just as easily done in a decent automatic.

weight? eh. not terribly significant.

Problem is, you lose durability.

Manuals are simplistic in comparison to an automatic, but are much easier to cause failure with.

Easier repairs compensate for this, but a faster failure rate (can you say SYNCROS? CLUTCH?)



Normally I'd be all for a manual over an automatic, but the **new** automatics are getting pretty fun if you know how to exploit the way they work.

Old automatics just suck though.
anticlutchWe're all guilty of that sooner or later ;)
Keeping up with fellow traffic isn't technicly "speeding" and I've seen most cops passing people on interstates in these situations. (Even had it done)
Posted on Reply
#58
Taz100420
My stepdads 84 F-150 had a five speed stick and never had to get a tranny rebuild just 1 clutch since he had it in 84 but my 94 GTP's auto went out a couple times which sucked because it was compact in the compartment
Posted on Reply
#59
Wile E
Power User
DippyskoodlezManuals are simplistic in comparison to an automatic, but are much easier to cause failure with.

Easier repairs compensate for this, but a faster failure rate (can you say SYNCROS? CLUTCH?)
Coming from a former mechanic, Dip. I have to disagree with you here. Most manuals are much more durable than an automatic (when talking the same model of car). Synchros don't wear out if you drive properly (IE: Rev matching, which any good stick driver should be doing). Sure, the clutch may wear out, but it's significantly cheaper to replace when compared to 90% of any repairs required on an automatic. The average lifespan I've seen for most automatics that I have seen in the shop was 150-200k miles, before requiring a rebuild or major repair work (there are exceptions, in both directions, of course.) Most places around here charge a minimum of $600 just in labor for repairing an auto, including removal and replacement. Average labor on clutch replacement around here for a stick is $300. Most of my clutch replacements came in between 90-120k miles. At very least, maintenance for a stick car (with a good driver, very key here) is equal to that of an auto. Cut those mileage estimates roughly in half for people that beat on or race their cars.
Posted on Reply
#60
Casheti
Coming from England, EVERYBODY knows over here, that if you drive an automatic you are OBVIOUSLY A GAY. Manual cars frikkin' rule! Automatics are boring. Plus you can't jump-start an automatic (or at least that's the last I heard). Then again, living in England I can't drive until I'm 17. Now that IS gay.

I've been playing Test Drive Unlimited quite a lot lately, I must say if real driving is that fun, I can't wait.

Also...just one more thing to add. Flappy paddle gear shifting is WAY cool. Well...it is if you want to look classy, in say...an Audi, or a Mercedes. In an ordinary car like a Toyota Supra, ordinary non-flappy paddle manual is better. :toast:
Posted on Reply
#61
ktr
CashetiManual cars frikkin' rule!
especially with your 1.2-1.4 litter engine! :toast:
Posted on Reply
#62
J0N
CashetiComing from England, EVERYBODY knows over here, that if you drive an automatic you are OBVIOUSLY A GAY.
:nutkick: Dude! You are right. You see someone driving an Automatic, and you know they can't actually drive properly! ;)
Posted on Reply
#63
Casheti
Speaking of which, my mum can only drive an automatic, lol.
Posted on Reply
#64
J0N
CashetiOBVIOUSLY A GAY.
;) :p
Posted on Reply
#65
Dippyskoodlez
Wile EComing from a former mechanic, Dip. I have to disagree with you here. Most manuals are much more durable than an automatic (when talking the same model of car). Synchros don't wear out if you drive properly (IE: Rev matching, which any good stick driver should be doing). Sure, the clutch may wear out, but it's significantly cheaper to replace when compared to 90% of any repairs required on an automatic. The average lifespan I've seen for most automatics that I have seen in the shop was 150-200k miles, before requiring a rebuild or major repair work (there are exceptions, in both directions, of course.) Most places around here charge a minimum of $600 just in labor for repairing an auto, including removal and replacement. Average labor on clutch replacement around here for a stick is $300. Most of my clutch replacements came in between 90-120k miles. At very least, maintenance for a stick car (with a good driver, very key here) is equal to that of an auto. Cut those mileage estimates roughly in half for people that beat on or race their cars.
I'm not a mechanic, but I've personally only seen manuals need big time transmission help.

but then again, some of the people that drive them arent the brightest crayons in the box.. :laugh:

But I'm just over 100k miles, and my syncro's suck. :banghead: (Got the car around 70k)

Its the fact a rebuild costs more than the car at this point.
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