Video games can lead to road carnage

probe

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Irish roads have such high accident/death rates?

Ireland is one of the largest video game markets in the world per capita!

.probe

German researchers reckon that playing computer driving games encourages people (read "men") to take more risks when driving in the real world. Researchers carried out three studies using three racing games - Burnout, Midnight Racer, Need for Speed - and three non-racing control games - Tak, Crash Bandicoot and Fifa 2005. All games were played on a Sony PlayStation 2 using a 72in TV screen. One study also used Medal of Honour to see if a violent shoot 'em-up would have the same effect.

The evidence suggests, with some reservations, that playing aggressive driving games does change how people look at risky behaviour. The article says playing racing games:

• Increases the accessibility of thoughts that are positively related to risk taking.
• Leads to enhanced arousal and excitement.
• Cincreases risk-taking behaviour in critical road traffic situations.

Participants had to view video footage of driving situations after playing one of the games.
Although both sexes showed "affected risk-promoting cognitions" only men actually increased their risk-taking behaviour. Researchers found that males taking the tests, after playing racing games, responded about a second later to critical driving situations than men playing neutral games.

But researchers warned of two important limitations to their study. Firstly the results could show a "frustration-aggression hypothesis" - that playing racing games puts people through a series of frustrating events which lead them to take more risks. Or that playing such games leads to arousal and excitement which again changes attitudes to risk.
You can read the article, as a PDF, from the Journal of Experimental Pyschology: Applied here.

http://www.theregister.com/2007/03/19/racing_games_make_dangerous_drivers/

(perhaps the authorities need to balance this video game impact by making all drivers suspected of dangerous driving watch carnage videos for a few hours as they do in France. Watch videos showing emergency crews removing disfigured dead bodies with welding gear and other kit. To bring home the difference between games and the real world! (eg those caught overtaking where there isn't a clear straight path ahead of the road for at least 400m - two cars travelling in the opposite direction at 100 km/h are converging at about 55 metres per second)

Such a detection exercise would be a legitimate and useful application of roadside cameras. Speed of itself does not cause accidents if every driver drives at an appropriate speed for the road conditions, car they are driving, and visibility. Irish signed speed limits are among the dumbest in the world in terms of appropriateness in many cases. Very often far too fast for the environment. Very often far too slow. Most of them seem to be based on the road number which is totally stupid (ie if it is "R" it is 80, if it is "N" it is 100).

The N7 Naas Road is now better and wider than any motorway in the country, yet it is stuck with a 100 km/h speed limit because the road number begins with N and not M! Bureaucratic bonkers.

Virtually any accident that takes place on this road now is caused by driving too close to the vehicle in front. Yet the emergency lane boundary markings are not divided into 50 m segments of white paint to continuously remind the driver of the safe inter-distance from the vehicle in front (ie 2 x 50m). And no signs either. As is the case in most of the rest of Europe.

godtabh

Not sure if the bold text was necessary but personally I think the report is a load of crap same way I think that games like Gears of War incite people to kill is a load of crap.

Chris_533976

Obviously if I play Grand Theft Auto I will go out TOMORROW with a chainsaw and a rocket launcher, steal a plane and raze a city to the ground.

Raskolnikov

probe wrote:

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Irish roads have such high accident/death rates?

Some lad with the EU on RTÉ the other night said that Ireland was about average for road deaths in the EU.

DubTony

It might be wise to consider that driving a car immediately after playing high speed driving games is a big no-no. I was playing GT3 on an afternoon about 18 months ago and got a phone call to pick up a friend straight away. I'll just say that it's really easy to get into your car and drive in the same manner after you've just put down ehat controller. As for the article thingy ... pffft.

SickCert

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Irish roads have such high accident/death rates?

Nah were just impatient, drunk, inconsiderate and lacking experience!

dazftw

I dont think games would make people do things like this! I agree with SickCert 100%

MadsL

All games were played on a Sony PlayStation 2 using a 72in TV screen

meh

Victor

Will post later, but I think there is a lot of sense in the article

I don't think Pavlov's dog was fussy about what bell was being rung.

---

Can you be more considerate when posting.

[noparse][QUOTE=probe][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Irish roads have such high accident/death rates?

[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Ireland is one of the largest video game markets in the world per capita!

[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4].probe
[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]

[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Quote:
[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]
German researchers reckon that playing computer driving games encourages people (read "men") to take more risks when driving in the real world. Researchers carried out three studies using three racing games - Burnout, Midnight Racer, Need for Speed - and three non-racing control games - Tak, Crash Bandicoot and Fifa 2005. All games were played on a Sony PlayStation 2 using a 72in TV screen. One study also used [I]Medal of Honour[/I] to see if a violent shoot 'em-up would have the same effect.
[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]
The evidence suggests, with some reservations, that playing aggressive driving games does change how people look at risky behaviour. The article says playing racing games:[/SIZE][/FONT][LIST]
[*][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Increases the      accessibility of thoughts that are positively related to risk taking.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[*][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Leads to      enhanced arousal and excitement.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[*][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Cincreases      risk-taking behaviour in critical road traffic situations.[/SIZE][/FONT][/LIST][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Participants had to view video footage of driving situations after playing one of the games.
[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Although both sexes showed "affected risk-promoting cognitions" only men actually increased their risk-taking behaviour. Researchers found that males taking the tests, after playing racing games, responded about a second later to critical driving situations than men playing neutral games.
[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]
But researchers warned of two important limitations to their study. Firstly the results could show a "frustration-aggression hypothesis" - that playing racing games puts people through a series of frustrating events which lead them to take more risks. Or that playing such games leads to arousal and excitement which again changes attitudes to risk.
[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]You can read the article, as a PDF, from the Journal of Experimental Pyschology: Applied [URL="http://www.apa.org/journals/xap/"]here.[/URL] 
[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4]Unquote.
[/SIZE][/FONT]   [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4][URL="http://www.theregister.com/2007/03/19/racing_games_make_dangerous_drivers/"]
http://www.theregister.com/2007/03/19/racing_games_make_dangerous_drivers/[/URL]

(perhaps the authorities need to balance this video game impact by making all drivers suspected of dangerous driving  watch carnage videos for a few hours as they do in France.   Watch videos showing emergency crews removing disfigured dead bodies with welding gear and other kit.  To bring home the difference between games and the real world!  [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4](eg those caught overtaking where there isn't a clear straight path ahead of the road for at least 400m - two cars travelling in the opposite direction at 100 km/h are converging at about 55 metres per second)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=4] 
Such a detection exercise would be a legitimate and useful application of roadside cameras.   Speed of itself does not cause accidents if every driver drives at an appropriate speed for the road conditions, car they are driving, and visibility.        Irish signed speed limits are among the dumbest in the world in terms of appropriateness in many cases.  Very often far too fast for the environment.    Very often far too slow.  Most of them seem to be based on the road number which is totally stupid (ie if it is "R" it is 80, if it is "N" it is 100). 

The N7 Naas Road is now better and wider than any motorway in the country, yet it is stuck with a 100 km/h speed limit because the road number begins with N and not M!    Bureaucratic bonkers.  

Virtually any accident that takes place on this road now is caused by driving too close to the vehicle in front.    Yet the emergency lane boundary markings are not divided into 50 m segments of white paint to continuously remind the driver of the safe inter-distance from the vehicle in front (ie 2 x 50m).   And no signs either.  As is the case in most of the rest of Europe.


[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE][/noparse]