Linking and driving don't mix
A German study shows that people who play video racing games are more prone to risky driving and may get into more accidents.
I am vindicated. I have believed this for years and now it's real because it has been investigated by genuine scientists. Seriously I know that when I play Grand Theft Auto for hours and then get in the car and drive, I have a tendency to cut corners, ignore streetlights and generally ignore pedestrians in crosswalks.
I wonder what else gaming might be conditioning us for? I pity the first aliens who visit the Earth if they happen to look menacing. Quake fans everywhere will be buying chainsaws.
have noticed that I shouldn't drive within an hour or so after playing a deeply immersive racing game. I wonder if this phenomena extends to online worlds like Second Life and MMOPRGs? Will it be like not swimming for an hour after eating--some kind of grandmotherly bit of homy wisdom?
Posted on March 20, 2007
