Can Video Racing Games Lead to Risky Road Behavior?

Video games are quite the trend right now, and they have been made quite accessible with the option to play on smartphones. From the subway station to cafes, you will see children, teenagers, and adults glued to their phones and totally absorbed in the virtual world. Racing games are one of the most popular video game genres worldwide, and several studies have been conducted to analyze the effect of these racing games in the real world. Even if individuals enroll in a traffic control course to better understand the rules of roads and traffic, most racing games can still influence their driving behavior.

If you want to know whether video racing games lead to risky road behavior or not, keep reading this article!

Intense Video Racing Games

Almost all intense video racing games work the same, i.e., they require gamers to reach the finish line or complete a certain number of laps as quickly as possible. The person who reaches the finish line first becomes the winner!

Now you may be thinking, how can they have an influence on the minds of teenagers and young adults? Well, these video racing games don’t require you to follow any kind of road rules.

For instance, whether you crash into another car, drive on the sidewalk, over speed, tailgate someone, or run the red light, it totally doesn’t matter as long as you’re able to achieve your primary goal i.e., to score 1st position.

Racing games are so addictive that gamers can keep playing for hours without being able to keep track of time. Of course, this can then have an effect on the way they drive vehicles in the real world as their brain is kind of trained to not take any traffic rules seriously.

Smooth Driving Simulation Games

On the other hand, individuals aren’t obliged to play risk-glorifying video games, and they have the option to rather engage in smooth driving simulation racing games.

These video games work by following traffic and road rules to ensure you drive safely and appropriately without being a reckless driver. This can, obviously, help instill good driving habits in the gamers, so they are able to drive in the actual world without posing danger to themselves or others.

Individuals who play education-focused driving games as compared to the intense racing games seem to have a less-distracted attitude during actual driving and better road behavior overall.

What Can You Do As a Parent?

Many studies have shown that mature video racing games can lead to risky road behavior. Therefore, as a parent, it’s your responsibility to monitor your children’s gaming activities.

Keep a check on them as to what games they play regularly, as they can have a psychological effect on their daily lives. Rather than being “bossy” and “strict”, it’s better to teach them the pros and cons of playing a certain game.

Encourage your children to play games that allow them to become better people in real life, and the ones which will be worth their time. For example, it’s better to play driving simulation games as they can teach you real driving tips along with unlimited entertainment.