The Racing-Game Effect: Why Do Video Racing Games Increase Risk-Taking Inclinations?

Abstract

The present studies investigated why video racing games increase players' risk-taking inclinations. Four studies reveal that playing video racing games increases risk taking in a subsequent simulated road traffic situation, as well as risk-promoting cognitions and emotions, blood pressure, sensation seeking, and attitudes toward reckless driving. Study 1 ruled out the role of experimental demand in creating such effects. Studies 2 and 3 showed that the effect of playing video racing games on risk taking was partially mediated by changes in selfperceptions as a reckless driver. These effects were evident only when the individual played racing games that reward traffic violations rather than racing games that do not reward traffic violations (Study 3) and when the individual was an active player of such games rather than a passive observer (Study 4). In sum, the results underline the potential negative impact of racing games on traffic safety.at LMU Muenchen on June 16, 2013 psp.sagepub.com Downloaded from PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETINOver the past few years virtual driving and racing games have emerged as one of the top-selling products in the video and computer game industry. However, compared to first-person-shooter games (in which players partake in massive virtual killing sprees; Gentile & Gentile, 2008), very little psychological research has been dedicated to the impact of street-racing games on risktaking inclinations and risk perception in road traffic (Fischer, Kubitzki, Guter, & Frey, 2007;Kubitzki, 2005Kubitzki, , 2006. This is surprising given that these photo-realistic games often depict, and even reward, harmful, risky, and aggressive road traffic behaviors from a first-person perspective. Players typically drive at high speed through urban environments, crashing into other drivers, performing reckless overtaking maneuvers, intentionally killing pedestrians by driving over them, and destroying other cars by bumping into them (see the content of racing games such as Burnout, Need for Speed, or Grand Theft Auto). Preliminary evidence (Fischer et al., 2007) suggests that these types of games may promote risktaking inclinations similar to how first-person-shooter games promote aggressive inclinations and behaviors (e.g., Anderson et al., 2004). The aim of the present research was to further explore this possibility, with a focus on clarifying the psychological processes underlying the effect of racing games on risk taking. Video Game Research and Psychological ProcessesVideo game research has been predominantly carried out within the first-person-shooter genre. This line of research consistently shows that playing firstperson-shooter games significantly increases aggressive cognitions, emotions, and behaviors (Anderson & Bushman, 2001Anderson & Dill, 2000;Anderson et al., 2004;. For example, participants who played violent video games (compared to those who played nonviolent video games) administered increased levels of noise blasts and electric shocks to other people (Anderson & Dill, 2000...

What would my avatar do? Video games and risky decision making

“…A similar set of experiments demonstrated that increases in the accessibility of risk-promoting thoughts and in actual risky driving behaviors following exposure to racing games is mediated by the individual's perception of themself as a reckless driver (Fischer et al, 2009). Risky driving behavior was greater in men than women and when the participant was the player rather than the observer of a racing game.…”

“…Study 1 expands on previous work with racing video games (Beullens et al, 2011;Fischer et al, 2009;Beullens et al, 2008;Fischer et al, 2007) by examining multiple genres of video games and attitudes towards risk in domains that are unrelated to the video game environment Sensitivity to feedback (i.e., increased sensitivity to reward, decreased sensitivity to punishment) is one pathway through which the reinforcement contingencies utilized by video games may alter risky decision making. Study 2 was also designed to expand the generalizability of previous work that demonstrated a relationship between video game experience and sensitivity to positive and negative picture stimuli (Bailey et al, 2011;Bartholow et al, 2006).…”

“…The data indicate that exposure to racing games is associated with increased positive attitudes towards risk-taking (Fischer, Kubitzki, Guter, & Frey, 2007), self-perception as a risky driver (Fischer et al, 2009), and the likelihood of risky driving among adolescents and adults, particularly males (Beullens et al, 2011). Additionally, racing video games appear to be most attractive to individuals who already have an increased risk of car-related accidents and deaths (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2009).…”

“…Playing a racing game that did not reward risky-driving behavior did not produce this effect (Fischer et al, 2009). …”

“…This goal was motivated by findings from the few studies examining how racing video games relate to attitudes towards risk and actual driving behavior (Beullens et al, 2011;Fischer et al, 2009;Beullens et al, 2008;Fischer et al, 2007), and by work demonstrating that similar subcortical reward systems are activated during video game play (Hoeft et al, 2008;Koepp et al, 1998) and decision making under risk (Christopoulos et al, 2009;Kable & Glimcher, 2007). In addition, video game experience has been associated with variation in the use of proactive cognitive control (Bailey et al, 2010;Mathews et al, 2005) and affective processing (Bailey et al, 2011;Bartholow et al, 2006), both of which may have implications for decision making.…”