Games make drivers go faster... and so does everything else

The 1968 classic movie Bullitt is best known for the car chase scene about halfway through, when Steve McQueen turns the tables on his follower and ends up pursing him. For those who haven't seen it, watch it here. God bless YouTube.

When my father saw it for the first time, so enthused was he that he sped back home like a mad man. Quickly the police pulled him over for reckless driving and, choosing honesty as the best policy, he said, "I'm sorry, but I've just seen Bullitt". In a true display of times long since passed, the Policeman let him go without even giving him a ticket.

I remembered that story after reading an article on BBC News this morning, which states a BSM affiliated survey has found a link between dangerous driving and playing videogames. According to the survey, more than a third of young drivers are more likely to drive faster after playing a racing game. To quote:

"And 27% of motorists aged 16 to 24 admitted more risk-taking on the road after a gaming session."

I haven't heard anything so absurd since hearing of my father being let off a speeding ticket on the excuse he had just watched Bullitt. Putting aside the obvious flaw in the survey that the legal age for driving in the UK is seventeen, my first repsonse was one of disbelief. It makes you wonder who they surveyed for this story, and why games should be the only medium targetted in what is obviously a more broader issue.

It can easily be argued that movies and TV have an even greater effect on the mind, as they use predefined images and sounds to create tension and emotion, which can't be controlled in a video game. You can crash in racing games, often quite a lot, but McQueen always lives through that car chase unscathed. Which is worse?

It also comes as no surprise to learn that "A quarter of drivers even said they imagine they are in a driving simulation game while driving for real - men are the worst offenders for this." Cars are still wish-fufillment fantasies for most young men, finally giving them the opportunity to do something they have spent years wishing they could do.

That said, as soon as you sit behind the wheel of a car, you realse how different the experience is to what you imagined. Even Star Wars fan Simon Pegg slowed down for the last two corners on his Top Gear lap last week (See on YouTube), as dreams of flying X-wings were pushed aside for the very real possibility that he would kill himself. For Pegg, like most young men, sanity prevails.

The fact of the matter is that of course games will effect on the state of someones mind, but that's the same for all media. The real debate should be about road education and safety measures to prevent media from effecting someone's to the point that they beomce a danger behind the wheel. Unfortunately, it seems that instead of confronting the real issue, it's easier to use the games industry as a scape-goat for yet another problem in society.