Study: Driving games lead to real-life speeding

By Tim Surette, GameSpotPosted Mar 2, 2007 12:25 pm PT

British driving institution finds that a third of young drivers are likely to rev it up more after playing racing games.

Violent games have been accused of influencing criminal behavior in the youth of today, but now games may be accused of influencing something else--putting the pedal to the metal.

What's a beach doing on this street?

A study by British driving institution BSM has found that young drivers are more apt to speed and drive recklessly after playing a racing game, reports the BBC. A survey showed that more than a third of 1,000 subjects polled are more likely to push the gas a little harder after playing a racing game, and 27 percent of drivers aged 16 to 24 "admitted more risk-taking on the road after a gaming session."

However, some of those polled also believe frequently playing driving games can improve their on-the-road performance. About 40 percent are convinced that playing games benefits reaction time and reflexes.

This isn't the first time racing games have come into question with reckless driving. Just over a year ago, a copy of Electronic Arts' street-racing game Need for Speed was found in the car of a driver who killed a taxi driver while drag racing his friend.

526 Comments

  • rikhan_z

    Posted Jul 10, 2008 5:40 am PT

    I've been warned

  • jangofett

    Posted Mar 23, 2008 9:23 pm PT

    i played all kinds of racing games and never got influenced nether has my little cousin.

  • Alexk999

    Posted Apr 13, 2007 6:21 pm PT

    I played Carmageddon all the time and didn't want to go out and run over everyone in my path :-)

  • Oblivion_Awaits

    Posted Mar 6, 2007 7:12 am PT

    Gotta love the cat pic.

  • MrPMPisBeefy

    Posted Mar 6, 2007 7:09 am PT

    I like how the minority automatically means everyone. Polls are always inaccurate and mis-leading. 1/3 reported to be more agressive. That means 2/3 of the people were not affected. More people felt their reaction time and reflexes were improved but that didn't fit BSM's agenda so it was noted at the end but not mentioned in the headlines. Go figure.

  • TTDog

    Posted Mar 6, 2007 4:43 am PT

    Coming soon, a study that says all the people who play NASCAR games all find it impossible to understand that you can also turn right, Gran Turismo drivers get the urge to take a corner and then stop and ask if they did it well enough to pass the test, and NFS drivers refuse to drive any vehicle that hasn't been pimped to the max.

  • Juthan

    Posted Mar 6, 2007 1:20 am PT

    If someone is dumb enough to play a game and be influenced enough by it to go out and attempt it on the open roads, then I'll be sure to slow down to point and laugh when their car is wrapped around a pole. One less idiot on the roads. Oh well...

  • demonoid42

    Posted Mar 6, 2007 1:03 am PT

    Dude, my g/f plays Harvest Moon all the time; I best be gettin' myself a farm.

  • Endrance

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 9:41 pm PT

    Definitely something wrong with that cat...

  • weeeoops1520

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 6:09 pm PT

    lmao, the cat pic alone is freaking funny as hell!!!

  • Generic_Dude

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 5:20 pm PT

    lol, is that Toonces the Cat in the pic?

  • notm3

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 5:15 pm PT

    Time to spout the same crap that should be concentrated on ... "The responsibility should lie with the parents to explain to their children that driving on the roads the same way you do in games in unacceptable and wrong" .... And anyone over 20 should already know better

  • mjc0961

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 4:13 pm PT

    ChitoKiryoku, the reason people think this is a load of crap (and it is) is because this isn't any kind of science at all. It's just a poll. The one from GameFAQs that you linked is a better "study" than what's been reported here. GameFAQs got responses from over 38 thousand drivers (and the time of this writing, and not counting the votes for people who don't drive), whereas BSM only had one thousand. Does that mean that GameFAQs has proved anything scientifically? No. It's just as much bull **** to use the GameFAQs poll to say racing games make for bad drivers as it is to use the BSM poll to say racing games make bad drivers.

  • matrixman2k

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 3:57 pm PT

    There are these unemployed lot with nothing else to research upon, and so here we have another statistic - with lots more to follow, of course...

  • ChitoKiryoku

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 2:42 pm PT

    What I find amazing is that most of the comments here are 'what a load of crap', quite a few are the opposite 'gee, isn't that obvious?' and a few actually think about it rationally.

    Regardless, the poll at gamefaqs still shows that of all those who voted, who can drive, and pay attention to their speed after playing games, over half of those does speed (after playing games)

    http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=2681

  • bamf03

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 1:52 pm PT

    I thought these driving games were based from real-life speeding not the other way around?

  • megamega777

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 12:51 pm PT

    where I live, one third already speeds
    1/6 out of the third, have a console
    1/50 have a game that has any involement in cars
    1/1000 is influce to speed because the game tells them to

  • Modx22

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 12:44 pm PT

    I flipped my car 17 times because of need for speed most wanted

  • Eclipse83Lives

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 12:26 pm PT

    I dont think it is so much like the NASCAR games or whatever. A lot of us have raced something growing up. And a lot of us don't fly on the streets. Despite what we drive "LS1 01 TRANS AM " Got rid of the Eclipse a while back. I like NFSU as a series. But I think it has to do more with this un-real world of street racing. And in the teen world these days its kinda a stupid in thing to do. Which I cant see why they just don't take it to the local strip but?? Teens, what are you going to do. Thats not to say that their is not these huge underground race scenes in the big cites, because their are. Their was in Miami when I grew up their in the 80s even. But its two things. One the media is on top of everything now. So everyday life is now news. You know,, like the fact That we now Know you can die if you eat to healthy, that kinda of BS. But also the games like NFSU, although fun. Are kinda ridiculous in their story telling, and also pushing junk cars that just cant do the things in real life, you do in the game. Which is part of what makes the game fun. But is also why youll get a few stupid kids "not all, or most" but a few that will transfer this over to the real streets. I dont know why their is that group of teens that feel they have to prove all the time. But, its one of those things, you just have to take as a part in the change of life now a days. Its one of those things thats hard for me to explain. And more so because I know all sides to it. Ive been in Motocross since 5. Ive raced a tun. And I step on the Trans Am here and their on the streets. But I don't go fast that often. The line between stupidity and the need to prove something is a hard one to understand. And teens are kinda ignorant when it comes to that, and girls, and being popular, or whatever. All that plays into it. Their just not "I guess exspierancend would be the word." But they just are not smart when those little flames spark inside them. Not sure how to control the testosterone yet lol. Or something along those lines.

  • kruegersc4

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 12:23 pm PT

    I would think that it just depends on who you are and what driving game you're playing. You may become a better driver, or you may take more risks.

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