Things you are better or worse at in real life due to gaming.

[Derek_the_Dodo]

I had my first ever driving lesson the other day, and beforehand I kept joking to my friends and family that it would be really easy because I've played so much GTA.

Turns out its nowhere near as easy but I did quite well at it if I say so myself, my instructor certainly thought so at any rate praising my spacial awareness and road position and as soon as I got the gears and the basic feel of the controls sorted out I felt like I had been doing it all my life.

And in some ways I had, sandbox games like GTA are my favourite (notice my profile name and picture) and I've probably racked up more time driving with a controller than a lot of road users in real life have done in their cars. Having to watch out for some of the occasionally dodgy AI stopping in the middle of the road, or pulling into your lane in front of you at a moments notice is similar to having to watch out for anyone IRL doing similar stupid things.

Of course GTA doesn't prepare you for things such as deer in the middle of the road (this actually happened in my first lesson)and there's no third person camera to help you look around corners.I also found myself driving on the right hand side of the road (In England we drive on the left) when there were no other cars about for reference due to familiarity, what with most games being set in the USA or other foreign country that also uses the right hand side.

So what games have prepared you for things IRL? Does COD help you when using real firearms? Do sports games help you play better IRL? Have you learnt some simple Italian and found your way round Venice easier because of Assassins Creed 2?

Or have your experiences in games caused problems IRL? Got beaten up because you expected your skills in Tekken to come to your aid? Forgot how to play guitar because of guitar hero's simpler controls? Have you accidentally proposed on the first date and then wet yourself because of the Sims?

 

[Duck Sandwich]

Off the top of my head, my vocabulary has improved due to words that I've come across from gaming. Also, my reaction time and ability to predict my opponent's next move in a competition has been sharpened by many many matches of Smash Bros.

 

[Cavan]

I wouldn't say there are that many more things you could possibly benefit from besides terminology and reflexes.

Almost no physical, spacial or mental task can correlate into a comparable gaming experience.

 

[GrimHeaper]

I had my first ever driving lesson the other day, and beforehand I kept joking to my friends and family that it would be really easy because I've played so much GTA.

Turns out its nowhere near as easy but I did quite well at it if I say so myself, my instructor certainly thought so at any rate praising my spacial awareness and road position and as soon as I got the gears and the basic feel of the controls sorted out I felt like I had been doing it all my life.

And in some ways I had, sandbox games like GTA are my favourite (notice my profile name and picture) and I've probably racked up more time driving with a controller than a lot of road users in real life have done in their cars. Having to watch out for some of the occasionally dodgy AI stopping in the middle of the road, or pulling into your lane in front of you at a moments notice is similar to having to watch out for anyone IRL doing similar stupid things.

Of course GTA doesn't prepare you for things such as deer in the middle of the road (this actually happened in my first lesson)and there's no third person camera to help you look around corners.I also found myself driving on the right hand side of the road (In England we drive on the left) when there were no other cars about for reference due to familiarity, what with most games being set in the USA or other foreign country that also uses the right hand side.

So what games have prepared you for things IRL? Does COD help you when using real firearms? Do sports games help you play better IRL? Have you learnt some simple Italian and found your way round Venice easier because of Assassins Creed 2?

Or have your experiences in games caused problems IRL? Got beaten up because you expected your skills in Tekken to come to your aid? Forgot how to play guitar because of guitar hero's simpler controls? Have you accidentally proposed on the first date and then wet yourself because of the Sims?

Don't you feel nervous about driving something more deadly than a gun or do you just not think about it?

 

[Serving UpSmiles]

My daily sunlight intake has gone down dramaticaly this year XD

 

[Shio]

My left hand sometimes reaches for the CTRL + Z keys when I drop a glass or something.

Fail.

 

[Dalek Caan]

I can shoot a gun perfectly well in a game but in real life I cannot.

 

[Jfswift]

There was a study done a while back suggesting driving games do in fact slightly improve someones driving ability, spatial awareness (like you said) and reaction time. It's not a bad idea to play Gran Turismo once in a while. Also, what I like about these games is they push you to deal with unusual road circumstances like snow, rain, etc which don't happen very often irl.

 

[fingerbang143]

Great post im surprised more people haven't commented.

Gaming definately hasn't hindered me in any way, I do really well socially and athletically, I think games have probably honed my reflexes a bit but that's probably about it.

 

[AkaDad]

In real life, it's extremely hard to get my money back from a hooker.

 

[Rhymenoceros]

Personally not a lot has changed for me. Although my knowledge about guns has increased dramatically. When CoD WaW came out me and my mate played solidly for about a fortnight. Then we had a history lesson in which we shown a video of trench warfare. We spent the lesson excitedly pointing out the M1 Garand and Thompson etc. when they came up. My knowledge about modern guns has increased massively as well. I can now recognise guns like the ACR and Tar-21 in a moment thanks to MW2!

Plus my reaction time has increased hugely although I don't know about my spacial awareness. Incidentally a study was done on pro gamers a while back and discovered that those who played games like CoD competitively for hours a day (mostly pro gamers) had reactions on par with Fighter Jet Pilots. Cool or what?

 

[Scarim Coral]

I'm pretty sure my attention span had worsen thanks to gaming.... oh look a bird!

 

[L1gh7Sp33d]

Due to playing so many role playing games, I feel as if my vocabulary has actually improved. I remember playing Balder's Gate 2 back when I was 11 years old, hardly following the plot at all. All that time spent reading lines of text to understand the situation probably contributed somewhat to my 800 on the reading portion of the SAT (not to brag).

Other than that, I honestly am not sure if I really gain anything tangible from video games.

 

[Darwins_Folly]

Gaming pretty much taught me to read, playing tons of rpgs when I was young. It improved my typing as well. Im better at packing things and organizing cupboards thanks to countless hours of tetris.

 

[robot slipper]

I'm noticing a lot more about people's face and body language when they are lying now, thanks to LA Noire. No, seriously. Plus I'm much more sly about trying to draw the truth out of people when I know they are hiding something.

Old Sierra PC adventure games also taught me typing, increased vocabulary, and problem-solving skills from the age of about 8-12. If feel sorry for my son that there is nothing remotely comparable out there right now (that I know of).

EDIT: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego taught me everything I know about geography. 12 years of schooling didn't even come close.

 

[Zhukov]

I sometimes get the impression that games have improved my spacial and situational awareness.

Might be imagining it though. Maybe I was just born awesome.

 

[Tibs]

I am better at typing and my vocabulary have increased because of my gaming. I also have developed a exrta desire to understand morality from games featuring a morality system.

I have became worse at work though. Why do my homework when I can have fun?

 

[UlytimateDestruction]

Out of my year of gaming almost constantly (atleast it fells like that) I have listed the drawbacks and positive attributes of it so far:
My reflexes have improved which made me win dodgeball very quickly. My vocabulary has also been improved and so has my punctuation and grammar. My eyesight has declined, I have interrupted sleep, and I'm always tired. I became more intelligent, my socializing sucks, I'm more happy and it feels like life is not so complicated anymore. Oh, yea sometimes I have stutters in my speech. I now have more desire to achieve my goals and won't stop until I do.