Next they will be blaming car crashes on games. Seriously they can't stereotype gamers as bad drivers because of a stupid test. Did they test every gamer in the world? I seriously doubt it.
Study Says Gamers Are Bad Drivers
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
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The thing is that males aged 17 to 39 make up the core gaming demographic, and males are more aggressive drivers than women statistically. Did they question equal numbers of males and females?
Jack and Calumon said:
Have you seen some of the guys one step away from an amoeba driving vehicles with a big 'flammable' sticker peeling off the back? Trust me, if those guys can get a normal license and a license to drive vehicles with dangerous chemicals in them, you will be able to pass. Also, phone books were made for us short people to sit on.
OT: Yeah, those numbers still aren't a majority of people so I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. Most drivers in the UK, gamer or non-gamer, don't obey the rules of the road when they've passed their test. Statistics mean nothing to the individual anyway.
I'm a hardcore gamer and I'm a far better driver than most people. A lot of people don't use or incorrectly use their turn signals, change lanes while turning across an intersection, don't properly stop and obey yield signs, etc etc. I've been driving for 14 years and I've never gotten a ticket/warning. I've never been pulled over at all.
In fact, playing some more of the more realistic racing games helped better understand how cars behave when they have either low traction or lose it all together. Once when I got ran off the road by someone screwing around with something on their passenger floorboard, and another when I lost traction on an icy road.
EDIT: It really can't be broadly accepted either. It does depend on the region and it's driving conditions. I've lived in Indiana and Florida and there are notable differences in driving habits.
In Indiana, people were probably a little better about properly signaling and driving less aggressive. However, they seemed to speed more. Also didn't seem to yield to pedestrians as much.
In Florida, I don't usually see a lot of speeders, but when they do speed they REALLY speed. Second, a lot more poor/non-existent use of signaling and far more illegal passing, road rage, tailgating and other aggressive methods. However they seem very pleasant to pedestrians and bike riders. And usually when you signal someone will let you in.
Though, and this is not racism or whatever, just fact - there are a lot of people from Puerto Rico here and from what I've heard from people who lived there, there was basically no driving laws outside of full cities. People drive where ever and how ever they want. So that could be part of the cause here. Also, Florida is covered in lakes, streams, wetlands and things like that so the roads then to be quite curvy so there is less chance to pass the slow pokes which will irritate some people.
In fact, playing some more of the more realistic racing games helped better understand how cars behave when they have either low traction or lose it all together. Once when I got ran off the road by someone screwing around with something on their passenger floorboard, and another when I lost traction on an icy road.
EDIT: It really can't be broadly accepted either. It does depend on the region and it's driving conditions. I've lived in Indiana and Florida and there are notable differences in driving habits.
In Indiana, people were probably a little better about properly signaling and driving less aggressive. However, they seemed to speed more. Also didn't seem to yield to pedestrians as much.
In Florida, I don't usually see a lot of speeders, but when they do speed they REALLY speed. Second, a lot more poor/non-existent use of signaling and far more illegal passing, road rage, tailgating and other aggressive methods. However they seem very pleasant to pedestrians and bike riders. And usually when you signal someone will let you in.
Though, and this is not racism or whatever, just fact - there are a lot of people from Puerto Rico here and from what I've heard from people who lived there, there was basically no driving laws outside of full cities. People drive where ever and how ever they want. So that could be part of the cause here. Also, Florida is covered in lakes, streams, wetlands and things like that so the roads then to be quite curvy so there is less chance to pass the slow pokes which will irritate some people.
I've never seen how people drive in the U.K, so I don't really have anything to say here.
But if it was made in France, then I would have called bullshit. Everyone behind the wheel in France is batshit-bonkers!
If it's a green light, drive. If it's yellow, drive. If it only recently turned red, drive. If it's red, but you don't want to stop...drive.
Those cars never stop for pedestrians!
But if it was made in France, then I would have called bullshit. Everyone behind the wheel in France is batshit-bonkers!
If it's a green light, drive. If it's yellow, drive. If it only recently turned red, drive. If it's red, but you don't want to stop...drive.
Those cars never stop for pedestrians!
Glad I'm not the only one. Also, I hate racing games, so does this apply to me?danpascooch said:
Bah, I never trust these kinds of surveys. They don't take into account age, or the fact that there are significantly more non-gamers than gamers, that not all incidents are caught by the police, OR the fact that a large majority of gamers are of a younger generation than the non-gamers, and subsequently have been driving for less time and are bound to make more mistakes. Had this survey come out 30 years ago when platform shoes came into fashion, similar results would have been observed, with younger, more inexperienced drivers making more mistakes. Were platform shoes to blame? No, simply the fact that the accused have been driving for less time than the accusors.
They (the media) are always out to try and ban gaming, simply because it's a new and innovative industry that's undergone such an enormous growth that it could soon become a serious threat to the conventional media network (TV, magazines, radio) and cost them their precious jobs.
Call me a cynic, but I just generally don't trust these sorts of surveys.
They (the media) are always out to try and ban gaming, simply because it's a new and innovative industry that's undergone such an enormous growth that it could soon become a serious threat to the conventional media network (TV, magazines, radio) and cost them their precious jobs.
Call me a cynic, but I just generally don't trust these sorts of surveys.
I'm soon to be starting year 5 and, as of writing, no accident or tickets yet. I think this study might be biased in some way.Thrust said:
I think you guys are being a bit defensive here. Just look at the numbers for what they are. The study shows that gamers reported doing these acts more than non gamers.
The 'gamers are bad drivers' is just the editorial title given by the Escapist. Assuming equal honesty rates, this means gamers are likely to take more risks while driving. Assuming equal risk taking, this means gamers are more likely to report truth about there driving.
This study has only these datapoints, don't freak out. Oh, and don't assume that just because you THINK you are a good driver means you are. It is quite possible that you aren't, or even worse, that you are a bit better than normal, but because you believe you are much better, you take more risks than is actually safe.
Just saying, don't blow this out of proportion and try not to let your biases get the better of you.
The 'gamers are bad drivers' is just the editorial title given by the Escapist. Assuming equal honesty rates, this means gamers are likely to take more risks while driving. Assuming equal risk taking, this means gamers are more likely to report truth about there driving.
This study has only these datapoints, don't freak out. Oh, and don't assume that just because you THINK you are a good driver means you are. It is quite possible that you aren't, or even worse, that you are a bit better than normal, but because you believe you are much better, you take more risks than is actually safe.
Just saying, don't blow this out of proportion and try not to let your biases get the better of you.
Funny - I haven't had a ticket in near on 8 years . . . I have positive points on my driving record, too . . . plus, I've never been in an accident . . . and have been driving 15 years now.
I guess, being a gamer and all, Murphy's Law should be catching up to me any moment, right?
When will this inane, tepid, tedious "studies" regarding "gamers" and their negative impact on the world come to an end?
I guess, being a gamer and all, Murphy's Law should be catching up to me any moment, right?
When will this inane, tepid, tedious "studies" regarding "gamers" and their negative impact on the world come to an end?
but you dont have a noseJack and Calumon said:
... how do you smellI dont drive and have no plans to learn I wouldnt trust myself in something big heavy and made of metal with an engine. if my time in gta4 and saints row 2 is anything to go by Id suck royally I go through so many cars. so no driving for me rest easy the roads are safe from me.
I do believe this one. Staying inside a car gives a person a sense of detachment that is not all that different from playing a game. And I remember when my friend was getting his driver's licence he said he turned corners too widely because he was thinking of how he did it in GTA (the latter ultrarealistic installment hadn't come out yet, it might've helped).
Personally I don't drive and I don't even like cars very much, except for replicas and video games. Kind of like guns now that I think about it.
VROOOOOM
Personally I don't drive and I don't even like cars very much, except for replicas and video games. Kind of like guns now that I think about it.
VROOOOOM
Ok... so does that not mean gamers are better drivers? Citing things like taking risks, running red lights, getting pulled over etc... those are ancillary to the actual skill of driving. Overall, I dont think its that gamers make bad drivers.. I think the real problem is all the non gamers with horrid reaction times, panic, and failing understanding of how to control a vehicle are clogging up our roads and getting in our way.
So... you think the data they have is made up? They just pulled numbers out of the air? Just because you, claim, to be a good driver doesn't mean the study is wrong. Even if 45% of gamer respondents cited Road Rage, you could easily be in the 55%.imperialreign said:
And even then, did you read through the list of questions and consider how many of those you've done?
Hey! It took me only one try to pass my driver's exam! Though truthfully, I was always afraid of driving, so I was on my learner's permit for a long time before I finally took the test... And the only reason why I took the test was so I could get my license, not drive for a good several years, and thus have cheaper insurance when I finally consider driving a necessity... And the guy testing me was so much more relaxed than I expected him to be... to the point where I found myself arguing with him at the end about whether or not I should fail (I was the one who said I should technically have failed... There were unexpected and extenuating circumstances which was why he gave me leeway...) I wonder if I have problems...
There is also a study about the leading cause of blindness, sterilely, and hairy palms in men. There is another one that concludes gamers will shoot people at work and school if they get depressed.
A quiz of 2000 people hardly constitutes as a scientific study with verifiable and usable scientific data. What habits constituted the 'gamers' as gamers, and the nongamers and nongamers for example. Where do these 2000 people live, were they in the same city, same county, throughout the country? Was their income level, level of education, and careers diversified? It may be that their sample was flawed to begin with.
Their results are interesting and intriguing to be sure, but ultimately useless on a stand alone basis.
A quiz of 2000 people hardly constitutes as a scientific study with verifiable and usable scientific data. What habits constituted the 'gamers' as gamers, and the nongamers and nongamers for example. Where do these 2000 people live, were they in the same city, same county, throughout the country? Was their income level, level of education, and careers diversified? It may be that their sample was flawed to begin with.
Their results are interesting and intriguing to be sure, but ultimately useless on a stand alone basis.
I'm gunna go out on a limb and say that the majority of the "gamer half" we closer to the 18 years of age end of the spectrum whereas the "non-gamer half" were closer to 39. Until they get two groups of the same age (not a 20+ year range) this study is bovine excrement.