Gamers deemed too fast for real-life race • Hacker News Board

Re: Gamers deemed too fast for real-life race

#31

Post by brownbat » Tue, Feb 12, 2013, 7:35 AM UTC

efnx wrote: post #21

naner wrote: post #3

Put simply: they are too fast for the beginner series and too inexperienced for the pro series.

Which means ultimately that they are dangerous, right? They drive too fast to be safe with the other slower beginners and they don't have the experience needed to be trusted to make good decisions with the people who drive in the faster circuit. It doesn't seem wrong, it just seems like a natural consequence of learning in a simulator.

> Which means ultimately that they are dangerous, right?

I think that's the implication. The worry is that the claim isn't reliable. A driver who can control a vehicle at higher speeds than you will always appear "dangerous."

And similar claims were used to exclude women from the Indy 500 until years of women in F1 and NASCAR illustrated the prejudice was absurd.

It's admittedly a tough call though. On the one hand, the claim's being made by insiders with vested interests and skepticism towards outsiders. On the other hand, the cost of letting in dangerous drivers is far higher than the cost of prejudice, so there's a reason to err on the side of caution.

Re: Gamers deemed too fast for real-life race

#32

Post by brownbat » Tue, Feb 12, 2013, 7:37 AM UTC

I'm surprised they don't just keep the program alive underground and teach the drivers to shoot for second place among the amateurs.

It's not like they're incapable of driving slower.

Re: Gamers deemed too fast for real-life race

#33

Post by ckluis » Tue, Feb 12, 2013, 12:44 PM UTC

And Surgeons who play video games are better surgeons… isn't the fact that intense game playing teaches skills clearly evident at this point?

Re: Gamers deemed too fast for real-life race

#34

Post by Shorel » Tue, Feb 12, 2013, 2:19 PM UTC

gilrain wrote: post #5

The type of games these players play, how seriously they take them, and the advanced setups they use mean a more honest headline might be: "The best amateur racers with countless hours of simulator time are sometimes better than professional racers."

I though that was only the case for Gregger Huttu.

Re: Gamers deemed too fast for real-life race

#35

Post by Shorel » Tue, Feb 12, 2013, 2:38 PM UTC

brownbat wrote: post #31

efnx wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which means ultimately that they are dangerous, right? They drive too fast to be safe with the other slower beginners and they don't have the experience needed to be trusted to make good decisions with the people who drive in the faster circuit. It doesn't seem wrong, it just seems like a natural consequence of learning in a simulator.

> Which means ultimately that they are dangerous, right? I think that's the implication. The worry is that the claim isn't reliable. A driver who can control a vehicle at higher speeds than you will always appear "dangerous." And similar claims were used to exclude women from the Indy 500 until years of women in F1 and NASCAR illustrated the prejudice was absurd. It's admittedly a tough call though. On the one hand,…

They are actually dangerous.

I am one of the people who learned in a simulator, and then bought a real car.

Simulators teach some bad stuff, the wheel is amazing and it's just like the real one, but the pedals are not and the use of mirrors is totally different from the real thing.

Also, in simulators any mistake is simply a reset away, there is no survival instinct. This is a very important point, and I think, the most crucial difference.

They are dangerous because those cars, real or virtual are driven to the limit and the most minimal difference in perception will be amplified in those conditions.

Having said that, in a real car, I can brake better, with more control and faster than people who have only driven real cars. I have never missed a shift, and I change gears in less than half a second (I drive a stick). And I have never crashed. But I have never tested a real car to the limit.

Re: Gamers deemed too fast for real-life race

#36

Post by Shorel » Tue, Feb 12, 2013, 2:57 PM UTC

mkilling wrote: post #14

stcredzero wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how much of that could be due to being less sensitive to danger than they should be. If most of the conditioning was in a context where there were never any severe consequences for failure, you'd expect trainees that were considerably more aggressive than those conditioned in contexts where consequences could include death.

That doesn't translate. I spent considerable time playing racing simulations, and still my first time on a real track was an intimidating experience.

In my case my hands were numb and in pain from the strong grip.

After a while (days? weeks?) you get used to the real car and the racing simulation muscle memory comes back.