When playing video games REALLY pays off!

[Kosai Avonej]

Okay. To those of you who don't know what Gran Turismo 5 is, it's a driving simulator. Well Polyphony Digital the developer over the past year has had a contest which in summary was "Think you have what it takes to race in real life? Prove it!" which the winners would be decided through an online contest. The first stage of it was online events which where time trial events and people who put up the best top times would advance and so on and so forth. Well the last guys who got to the top where put in REAL vehicles and monitored by actual professional racing drivers from various leagues. To their surprise these young men who had learned how to race from playing a video game where actually laying down hot laps ( Motorsports euphemism for clocking a best or excellent time for said car or class category ) that even the experts and hardened veterans watching the competition said they watched the bar get raised right infront of them!

Fast forward today, these guys are actually in actual racing series with multi-million dollar sponserships putting them in real racing cars and they are racing for REAL money with the whole nine yards backing them and are actually turning real wins in motorsports! All of this from playing a video game!  

[scrub]

I assume it must have been on simulation mode not the mode with an automatic clutch xD

I can't really see how playing a game would help you with driving... proper controls for the clutch, peddles, etc might help but IRL you need 360 spatial awareness you can't just look forward at the TV infront of you. It's not the same.  

[Junimaia]

scrub

I assume it must have been on simulation mode not the mode with an automatic clutch xD

I can't really see how playing a game would help you with driving... proper controls for the clutch, peddles, etc might help but IRL you need 360 spatial awareness you can't just look forward at the TV infront of you. It's not the same.

Hmm, but GT5 does have first person mode capabilities complete with rear-view mirrors, and if the player's really worried about that nasty blind spot they could change to the outside car camera. It's not the same as a real life turning of the head to see what's up, but the simulation capacity is there, so I figure making the transition of "change camera button" to "turn head" is not that much of a stretch.  

[scrub]

Junimaia

scrub

I assume it must have been on simulation mode not the mode with an automatic clutch xD

I can't really see how playing a game would help you with driving... proper controls for the clutch, peddles, etc might help but IRL you need 360 spatial awareness you can't just look forward at the TV infront of you. It's not the same.

Hmm, but GT5 does have first person mode capabilities complete with rear-view mirrors, and if the player's really worried about that nasty blind spot they could change to the outside car camera. It's not the same as a real life turning of the head to see what's up, but the simulation capacity is there, so I figure making the transition of "change camera button" to "turn head" is not that much of a stretch.

It kinda is at high speed, when I'm driving at 80mph I go quite a distance in the time it takes me to check one of my blindspots. The buttons turn off that view as soon as you let go of them, which is much faster... I don't think that's the most important difference though.

When driving you have the weight of the car, the effect of the wind and changes of road surfaces... imo feel is a part of driving to  

[Kosai Avonej]

Theres also those steering wheels you can buy, the expensive ones that require you to have an elaborate setup for optimum simulation. It has paddle shifters which are used if not always now in actual touring class cars. Basically driving a standard transmission car, atleast high end ones ( You should see paddle shifters made for economy cars like the Hyundai Accent, Ford Fietsa, Fiat 500 within 10 years or so so the whole pushing down on the clutch and shifting gears is going to be ancient histor, rest in peace since I actually love driving stick shift ) currently offer it, you know Nissan 370Z, Audi TT, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevy Corvette Z06 Models and up. Most super cars use it paddle shifters as well which has killed the Lexus LF-A's appeal to me, if a bimbo like Paris Hilton can drive a car like that I'll pass on owning one.

But back on topic, a few of them where actually GTPlanet members which is how I know about this, I'm on that forum mostly to get tunes for my elaborate garage.  

[AquilaLiberum]

My friend crashed into the back of a taxi after looking away for a second to check her blind spot, so that's a big factor. I agree with scrub, for me, driving is about the feel of your steering and traction on different road surfaces etc.

I think that were I using a video games simulator, I'd not be in the same mindset I am when I'm actually driving.

That's pretty cool though, as long as peopel don't start preaching about how they hope this phenomenon doesn't transfer across to shooters etc.  

[Kosai Avonej]

Aquila15

That's pretty cool though, as long as peopel don't start preaching about how they hope this phenomenon doesn't transfer across to shooters etc.

According to studies military recruitment amongst young people or those seeking to join the military have increased due to games like CoD, however it's worth noting few of these applicants will be considered namely because they have been wrongfully misguided about the military and will likely fail the psychiatric test.  

[scrub]

I play a fair bit of airsoft and trust me FPS skills do not transfer over to real life at all, different skills and and different tactics.
All the people who think it'll be like CoD are never disappointed but they do get their asses kicked. xd