Video Game Risks on the Road

ByABC News
March 19, 2007, 9:26 AM

March 19, 2007 — -- The more competitive and adventurous your video game driving skills are, the more likely you are to be in an accident on the real-life road.

This according to a two-part study from Germany, which found that those who engage in risky behavior when playing virtual racing games carry that behavior onto the road, and are at greater risk for accidents and traffic violations.

The research followed men who played either a typical racing game, or a neutral game. Those who played the competitive racing games relied on breaking traffic rules to win -- such as driving on the sidewalk, speeding or crashing into other cars.

These men subsequently reported experiencing feelings of aggression that were triggered when on the road behind a real car.

While this is the first study to examine the effects of racing games, experts say the findings support what is already known about gaming.

"Video games can affect behavior," says Jeanne Funk, professor of psychology at the University of Toledo, Ohio. "It's not a benign activity."

Video games offer players a complex situation where, once they conquer their obstacles, the player is rewarded.

"The game demonstrates an activity, and you copy that activity and get rewarded. If you keep doing that, you keep getting rewarded for even more extreme behaviors," said Funk.

Sometimes what a player learns is outside of the context of what the game's maker intended.

"What you learn from a video game is not necessarily at a conscious level," said Craig Anderson, a psychologist at Iowa State University.

This behavior "tends to become automatic, and can translate into the real world," he added.

Learned behavior can become what is called a "script," or an action you do without thinking -- like starting your car without considering the steps it takes to turn the ignition.

With video games, the behavior you learn while playing can become a similar script. For some, that behavior is replicated in real life and can cause dangerous or deadly situations.