[Bhargav7]

As someone who played all the games you mentioned, I can say that playing video games on a keyboard, joystick or controller has nothing to do with driving a car with the steering wheel. Probably driving a car on a simulator like the ones at driving school may help; definitely not a video game.

With respect to reflexes, I guess sports build better body reflexes and quick thinking than any video game ever created. I may be wrong, but that is what I firmly believe in.

[Vasanth]

200%! Video games definitely influence our driving
I grew up playing NFS, Midtown madness and GTA. While my friends and cousins used to drive without any care, I was the complete opposite. I used to hate crashing cars even if it’s just a game. We even had challenge, drive till you crash/touch your car. I used to drive on for hours
Dr Driving and various other parking games has definitely helped me park various cars even in real life without much struggle. From Brio to Innova.
Every struggling newbie driver definitely has to play these games. It’s more of a learning experience than just a game.

[mayukh42]

Video games and driving school simulators are different. And either is not supposed to influence a real world driving situation.

1. Video games

There are two broad types of "driving" games - arcade, and simulation. Both, including simulation, are just virtual worlds, having their own rules.

Forza series of games are examples of arcade. Assetto Corsa/ Euro Truck series are examples of simulation. Somewhere in between is Dirt Rally series, with balance tilted towards simulation but still arcadey based on car physics. Of course there are others and it won't fit in a forum post to cover all.

And then there are Grand Theft Auto type of games, which are road rage simulators

2. Driving Simulators

The kind of virtual "tools" you get at a Maruti Driving School. No fancy graphics, but the feedback is much more tied to user input. The idea is to teach how much input is required to cause a change in the machine. They are close to the simulation games, but not exactly same. One major difference is the input device. A Thrustmaster wheel is often much more convenient and accessible than a driving simulator machine.

Video games are meant to give us an immersion of the virtual world which we cannot experience in reality. Driving simulators are meant to teach us how much of our actions can trigger a change in the "simulated" machine, not a real machine.

Both the above categories of virtual worlds are still, virtual. The real world machine is different, its controls, road conditions, crowd, etc. are all different. Actual learning will happen on the road, and there should not be any influence of our time in virtual world. Just like actual driving tests (based on which license is given) happen on road. The reset button meme above summarizes it perfectly.

OT 1: The opposite is also true. I find too much realism in video games as immersion breaking, because I expect it to be a fantasy world with room for imagination.

OT 2: The same applies to the discourse surrounding violence in video games. They are not comparable, one is not the cause of another; blurring the virtual and real worlds basically dilutes common sense.

[AltairX]

Originally Posted by Kkumar

In pilot’s training, a part of the training is carried out in simulators, this is to familiarise the student pilot with the layout of the cockpit and improve his hand-eye-leg coordination. But one really learns to fly when he is doing it in a real plane in a real world.

When it comes to video games such a thing is not there because it has been purely developed for entertainment and not for teaching. It’s true that they may have better reflexes but they will be learning more to do the wrong thing than the right thing. This can be seen by the way the youngsters ride their bikes. So my take is that video games are a bad influence when it comes to real world driving.

There's a ton of flight games such as War thunder which involves shooting down stuff.... theres also a ton of sim driving/racing games where you cant really goof around. Heavily depends on the user and the way they want to interpret the game in irl scenarios

[ritedhawan]

Video games is an addiction which is comparable to marjuana, Meth, drugs et al. It has its own pernicious effects. I clearly remember the year 1998 when I came in contact with computer gaming on my P2 AMD processor powered rig. The games that I came in contact with were NFS, DF2, AOE, Takken et al. The way it blew my imagination and the urge to continuously go back and play games first hit was my love for programming. I used to be an avid programmer and loved to do coding on C\C++. I gradually lost interest in coding, later it affected my studies. I couldn't concentrate on anything except dreaming and playing games.

I went on to learn driving on my own--Thats another story good enough to help me get T-Bhpian membership. Nevertheless, the ill effects of NFS and other racing games filtered into my driving whose unintended effects were rash driving, speeding culminating into a 15+ hours drive from Delhi-Chandigarh-Delhi ended with rear ending a Tata 407 on my way back because I slept on the steering wheel of our second hand Honda Accord , that was at the very beginning of the second decade of this millennium. Fortunately, no one was hurt. I learnt my lesson the hard way. Gave away all gaming CD's to others who could not persuaded by the ill effects of gaming.

Do I hate computer\console gaming, Hell Ya!
Do I hate all games like the board games like Chess, etc. No, I love chess and have been playing it for past 20 years.

The pernicious effects of racing, FPS are for all to see in the US. Where the ill effects of such games comes out in the off beat shooting incidents whose news revolve around the world.

What racing games have brought about in the US are such cases as seen in this videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL_N...VlbmNlZA%3D%3D

Such videos and similar ones are in galore on youtube.

I made a vow not to get my son into PC\Console gaming and keep such games away from him.

[BullettuPaandi]

Basically, I think it heavily depends on how well simulated the game is.

Full disclosure: I don't own a car and have only driven twice - once in my first session of a driving class; 2nd time it was in the RTO test. I have played driving games on a controller & have read about few basic mechanical concepts. So, take this with a handful of salt.

I told the driving school that I'm looking to spend the least time possible on classes, as I was quite confident about riding a bike & won't be owning a car anytime in the near future. So, just passing the test was enough for me. The instructor was confident enough to let me join just the last session of a batch, when I told him that I have some basic understanding of the mechanics. The car had a 2nd set of controls for the passenger which only the instructor occupies, so I agreed.

Initially I had trouble with the clutch, but once the instructor helped me find the point with his side of controls, I was pleasantly surprised how easier than I thought it was. I drove about 10km and if I were to buy a car tomorrow, I feel confident that after a few days of practice I'll be good to go. I clearly haven't spent enough time to talk about rash driving, but I do tend to drive cautiously in the few games that are designed to convey the risk better. Problem is most games aren't.

I'd also like to share

this

YT video, where they see how a sim drifter drives an actual drift car.

[ExtremePocca]

The Different Games

Having sunk a few hundred hours into various different driving games, I feel it all depends on the type of game you're playing. I have lots of experience with a wide spectrum of racing and driving games ranging from the arcade ones (Need For Speed, Forza Horizon, Burnout and Trackmania) to the "sim-cades" (F1 Franchise, Dirt, Forza Motorsport) all the way up to the infuriating yet rewarding "hardcore simulators" (Assetto Corsa, BeamNG Drive, rFactor). My thoughts about these games and simulators are as follows:

1. Need For Speed Most Wanted:2012 - this game is an absolute blast to play, rocket around Fairhaven, a fantasy city in your favorite hyper cars as you fight to topple the 10 most wanted drivers and cement yourself as the number 1 most wanted. It's an easy game to pick up and play, 0 skill is required and one can essentially master the game's mechanics in around 2 hours of playtime. My driving style in the game however, wouldn't translate very well into real life, as even If I did manage to procure a Lambo out of thin air, I would probably bin it into the back of some unsuspecting bike as I try to swerve through traffic like a mad man.

2. Forza Horizon - Another easy game to play, it features a similar addicting formula to Need For Speed, but instead of having hilariously easy drifting physics, Forza Horizon tries to ground itself to reality a bit harder. The cars are not as easy to drive and it takes a while to master the game. Definitely isn't as fun though; and I still can't see it influencing my driving style.

3. I'm sure burnout and Trackmania speak for themselves, they're just fun games. Nothing to learn; nothing to be influenced from.

4. F1 Franchise - Here come the sim-cades! Sim-cades essentially are games that feature a blend of realistic and arcade driving physics. The F1 franchise, in it's earlier years wasn't the greatest driving experience, but after the generational switch to 8th gen consoles (PS4 and XBOX ONE), the driving improved significantly. You need to learn how to drive fast without locking the brakes or spinning on the exit of corners, but still, the learning curve is not the steepest. The game really can't be mastered. The bar has been raised so high by the e-sports drivers that you need real talent to master the game. The game could influence your driving for the better, sharper reflexes and a better understanding of the dynamics of car could make you a safer driver in the real world.

5. The F1 Franchise is very similar to the Dirt franchise (Rally) in terms of realism. They're created by the same developers in the same game engine but, Rally, being the more treacherous sport, might imbibe more driving abilities onto you.

6. The Forza Motorsport franchise is the original Forza (Though it wouldn't seem like it nowadays), it was created to compete with the likes of Gran Turismo. So when Forza took the fight to the "real driving simulator" (Gran Turismo), they came out all guns blazing. Unfortunately, much like the Horizon spin-off, the Motorsport franchise has sadly fallen off. The Motorsport games are more arcade than simulator however, and are more forgiving when driving hard. Still, there's something to learn.

7. Assetto Corsa - Welcome to the world of simulators, here Assetto Corsa is arguably one of the most famous sims, it features incredible "moddability" (Ability to add modifications such as new cars, new tracks and even new weather conditions and graphics options). The driving physics are not forgiving here, you make a mistake? off into the barrier you go! You can't treat it like a game, you have to to treat it like the real thing because it will feel and drive just like it. Overall this game will let you learn how to control your car in emergency situations and make you a more confident, and more competent (In terms of raw driving prowess) driver.

8. BeamNG Drive - Those who haven't played BeamNG Drive before don't believe a driving game can strike such fear in the hearts of it's players. BeamNG drive is a soft-body sandbox game, which in layman's terms means, car go into pole, car go smashy smash. This game, doesn't really have any incentive to play, but the thrill of barreling through 1-car-wide dirt roads through the middle of a forest with a rally car going speeds that could get me banned on TeamBHP is unmatched. The game feels incredibly realistic due to it's chassis flex and aerodynamics simulation and like Assetto Corsa, can improve your driving skills but to a higher degree than Assetto Corsa.

9. City Car Driving Simulator - This game is great if you want to be a better driver in traffic, it features realistic driving in terms of the operations of the car, and the rules of the road. Overall, a great game to learn how to become a good, law-abiding and safe driver.

10. Euro Truck Simulator - More of a fun game than a driving simulator, a lot more forgiving than City Car Driving in terms of driving laws, but it can be sometimes become a test of patience (Long highway drives)

My Point Of View

For starters, I don't have a driving license and I have never driven a car so take my words with a grain of salt. Unlike other hardcore sim-racers, I don't race with a steering wheel so I can't feel what the car is doing through force feedback; Instead I have learned to use my instincts, sounds and the movement of the car to gauge when I am oversteering and how to correct it. The simulators have taught me racing conduct, and how to drive a manual car in city traffic. All in all, these games have taught me an awful lot about driving cars in a controlled manner at high speeds, and at safe speeds.

[vinya_jag]

I don’t know if I am influenced, but I see that everyone in Bangalore are well aware of every racing tip, hitting the Apex perfectly even when taking a right turn, managing to take the fastest line on flyovers, cutting lanes to get the fastest way out of the corner.

Jokes apart, I don’t think I was ever influenced even after years of playing F1, and Testdrive on my computer. The only time I felt I wasn’t in control was when I had just driven a go Kart, and came out to drive our Figo, and let it spin wheels and squeal a little.

More than these games, I feel these car test drive videos are much more dangerous. Even out team-bhp test drives are sometimes talking about how fast you take a corner on the twisties. I was so influenced by these, that I would try them on many unknown roads, scaring people sitting next to me, and yes it was fun, on the edge, and our Figo would oblige like no other. Until one blind curve, where I didn’t estimate the bend, went too fast, and saw a bolero coming in the opposite direction, and instead of breaking and turning, hit the accelerator. Thankfully our Figo steered despite the speed, albeit with a little squeal. But that taught me a great lesson.

[ani_meher]

I used and always recommend Dr. Parking game that's available for mobiles and tabs. I prefer playing it on tabs. It gives good understanding of the dynamics of steering control and moving out of tight situations.

An example video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOK6oNdiTX0

[INJAXN]

I played a few car racing video games, but don't think that those have influenced my driving skills at all.

Games I played, were mostly about speed, drifting, and not worrying about any accident. Real life driving is totally opposite of that.

On a lighter note, I am happy that I don't drive like the way as I used to drive in video games, especially in the game "Mid Town Madness"

[SID7115]

I'm not so much into gaming, or you can call me a person who saw real driving first and then the game.
The first time I played Forza, I remembered looking for reverse parking camera and sensors while reversing a car.
People who've seen reality first will never relate to how driving is done in a game.
As far as the after effects are concerned, there are a lot of positive effects, but I've heard more of negative effects.
Recently, a friend of mine and an avid gamer, who recently got his license, randomly took his car out for a joyride. On the way, he had to take a U-Turn towards the right. Instead of staying in the right lane, he was busy overtaking vehicles and once the turn came, he was on the left most lane. He should have turned on the indicators, but instead he slowed down a bit, cut across the entire road and hit the divider while avoiding a car from behind. He simply continued ahead without stopping as he was used to crashing cars several times in games.
From that day onwards, I have never trusted people who play games with driving.

I may sound a bit cynical, but this just happened to my friend. I am not against those who play racing games, but let this be a warning as to be careful and aware on the road while driving.
Gaming gives you that adrenaline rush, but it's important to follow all kinds of rules and stay alert.

[anup_av]

Having played most of the games, specially long hours with NFS(2,3,Most Wanted), Mid-town madness, GTA(3, Vice-City, San-Andreas & 5) etc and I can honestly confess that a lot of my driving is influenced by these games.

The love for cars was always there and these games specifically with the in-car view gave a good simulation of real world driving for the kid in me.

Few areas where the impact has been noticeable are
1) Better handling of random & sudden situations as the mind is better prepared to anticipate the moves of drivers ahead and adjoining traffic including pedestrians.

2) I am mostly racing against time specially during highway drives trying to better my own records. With that being said I am not a rash driver, but definitely a fast one with heavy left foot.
But the overall aggression of driving has toned down significantly since I moved on to an automatic, else earlier the itch to keep the car constantly in the right gear at the right rpm fueled the aggression as it was almost like a drag race on highways. Also it gives a certain satisfaction, when you are able to perfectly time the gear-shifts.

3) Comfortably using the entire expanse of expressways for overtaking, even the left-side shoulders in exceptional situations. However I am extremely cautious about this maneuver with parked cars or slow moving trucks on the shoulder and don't take the plunge until I am absolutely sure.

4) Much better sense of space and speed, helps in squeezing through smaller gaps without the need to slow down much.

[PWRUP]

I won't be driving for another 2 months and haven't played any "true" sim racing games like Assetto Corsa, so I can't really say whether they influence our driving style in the real world or not. I have played "arcadey" games like Need For Speed and although I do get an adrenaline rush while racing through traffic at unmentionable speeds (in the game), it usually wears off after I stop. Again, I haven't started driving yet, so can't comment on whether that adrenaline rush is still there when one starts driving in the real world right after a gaming session.

On a lighter note, when I was in coaching last year, we had this van driver who would rev the Omni to nuts before moving and we would often joke that he always played Need For Speed: Most Wanted before driving !

[BrabarusMark]

I have over 2000 hours on various racing simulators (Assetto Corsa Competizione, F1) and driving sims (Euro Truck), I'd say the games we have today go a long way towards replicating the real world.

With the racing sims in particular, you have to adhere to driving standards otherwise you will not have a good time and people will treat you poorly. This is in line with real life as well. Drive properly and respect others on the road, and you will have a decent time.

Games like Forza, NFS and Gran Turismo help with scratching that car collection itch we have as enthusiasts. You don't gain much as a driver, but the collecting keeps things fun.

Overall, I'd say playing games and having a safe space to make mistakes has made me a better and calmer driver. I can confidently say that racing virtually has enhanced my awareness on road and keeps me a few steps ahead of occurences on road. Another positive is that since I race in the virtual world, I don't feel the need to race on public roads. I can drive fast, but I don't see the need to go above 100 on highways. Just calmly mind my line and let the fast boys overtake without fuss.

[sagaranjos]

One aspect of driving that has improved for sure is navigation.

I am pretty much dependent on Google Maps for driving to any new location. Thanks to hours on Most Wanted looking at maps to get to the nearest safe house (or donuts to crash), the transition was pretty much smooth and I never had a problem with GPS navigation

And I realised the games might have helped because my wife is absolutely bad at GPS navigation. I would think it is just looking out on a map. How can someone be so bad at it, missing turns and exits?

Then I realised she has not had as much experience as I have had thanks to my beloved NFS hours.

Maybe I am reading too much into it