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Racing Games Linked to Aggressive Driving

by Erin on March 22nd, 2007

images.jpgRacing games like Gran Turismo, Grand Theft Auto, Need for Speed and other staples in the car junkies hall of fame might actually contribute to real world recklessness on the roads.

German researchers have published the results of a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied which suggests that playing racing games “could provoke unsafe driving” when gamers get behind the wheel of a real vehicle.

Looking at the behaviours of 198 men and 98 women, the psychologists determined that racing games have a “media priming” effect, where aggressive driving during simulation can predispose people to similar habits in reality.

In addition, study subjects who played a racing game versus a “neutral” game, showed “significantly higher accessibility of thoughts and feelings linked to risk-taking”. Meaning for all you in-game lunatics that nudge cars on the back bumper to get them out of the way (ie. sending them spinning into a building), and who lane-change like maniacs between tightly packed vehicles…you might start to think that stunts like that seem like a good idea in your mom’s minivan.

Via | MSN

POSTED IN: News

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