http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070318/...mes_driving_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who play car racing video games may be more prone to drive recklessly and get into accidents, according to a study that adds to evidence that video games can influence the behavior of some players.

The study by German researchers published on Sunday examined the effect these games, featuring realistic driving environments with players often racing through city and suburban traffic, affect people who play them.

"Driving actions in these games often include competitive and reckless driving, speeding and crashing into other cars or pedestrians, or performing risky stunts with the vehicle. In short, most actions in racing games imply a very high risk of having an accident or severe crash in a highly realistic virtual road traffic environment," the researchers wrote.

The researchers first questioned 198 men and women. Those who played the games most often were more likely to report engaging in aggressive and risky driving and getting in auto accidents. Those who played these games less often reported driving more cautiously, the researchers said.

The researchers then studied 68 men and found those who played even one racing game took more risks afterward in traffic situations on a computer simulator than those who played another type of game.

Then the researchers had 83 men play either a racing game or another type of game, and found that those who played the racing game reported more thoughts and feelings associated with risk-taking than the others.

"Risk-acceptance is one of the most prominent and important factors in the discussion of the origin of accidents caused by young drivers," Joerg Kubitzki of the Allianz Center for Technology, who conducted the study along with researchers at Munich's Ludwig-Maximilians University, said by e-mail.

The researchers cited previous research involving the "shooter" genre of games, in which the player shoots at adversaries, that found an increase in aggression-related thoughts and actions among people who played these games. But they said little had been known about the influence driving games might have on actual driving behavior of players.

"The question of age restrictions, legally or voluntary, should be discussed not only for "shooter" games but also for this kind of games, which have an impact on traffic safety," Kubitzki said.

The study appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, published by the American Psychological Association.

 

haha i used to play grand theft auto 3, vice city, san andreas, as well as burnout 3 and burnout revenge. look at me now!

 

i don't think it's really the fact that games are affecting the person but it's the persons taste that affects their games. If a person likes to race and go fast they'll get a game where they can do just that and they're likely to do just that on the road as well. I do kinda agree with it to an extent. I love racing in games on technical tracks and I do tend to take a longer more technical road then a Highway if I'm going somewhere.

 

Um did anyone else notice that the people were tested on a SIMULATOR after playing the game, which is in itself a simulator. DER. Driving in a simulator has no relation to actually being on the road. Reality is not a simulator. When there are real consequences to your actions you will act differently. I hate when people make studies improperly and try to pass it off as legitimate science...

 

I dunno...but I remember one saturday when I spent about two hours racing my son on his PS2 (Grand Tourismo) right before I had to drive him somewhere. Let's just say, yes..it did change how I wanted to drive. But it wore off quickly and I came to my senses.

 

I'll bet you the "simulator" they used after playing the game had MUCH crappier graphics than the actual videogame they played in the first place. Perhaps that frustration is the source of their agression.

 

i play MC3:remix... with a tC that i built to look and with the same mods that i have in real life... i am NOT allowed to drive after playing that game...


but its only in that specific instance... not need for speed... or an arcade game like initial d... and i dont feel like raming cars off the road after i play mario kart... or run ppl over like in carmaggedon....

 

Once again, parts of society want to put the blame an the object rather than the person.

Video games arnt too violent, music is not too violent, and there are no problems with movies or cell phones or alcohol.

The problem is with people.

Unfortunately, society deems it unacceptable to deal with the problem people because of their bleeding hearts telling them....whatever it is that bleeding hearts say.

 

if they take away gran turismo and grand theft then instead of driving fast and killing people on a video game, I will be forced to do it in real life.. lol