Turn10’s Dan Greenawalt has stated that he believes Forza Motorsport 2 can “absolutely” help improve your driving skills. It comes after the British School of Motoring stated there is an “indisputable link” between dangerous driving and gaming.
The BSM surveyed 1000 young drivers and 27% of those under 24 who were questioned stated that they were more likely to take risks on the road after playing a racing game. 34% of people questioned said that racing games had helped improve their driving skills.
Robin Cummins, the BSM’s road safety consultant, said:
“With more than 200 young people killed each year due to speeding alone, it’s crucial that they learn to ’keep it real’ on the road.”
But Greenawalt agrees with the 34% who believe gaming helps their driving. When asked if he believes Forza 2 can improve gamers real life driving, he said:
“Absolutely. I think the things you learn in Forza Motorsport apply in the real world. A lot of people can play other similar racing games – there are a lot of games that are kind of in the middle of sim and arcade – and they learn that if you’re at the edge of traction and you brake, you’ll get more turning. Well that’s just not true, and it’ll get you killed on a track.
“If you’re on the edge of traction on your front tyres turning and you brake, you’ve now exceeded your traction and you’re going to under steer straight off into a barrier. We’ve had people play these other games and then they play Forza and go ’wow, how come when I brake it doesn’t turn more?’ well, that’s because it doesn’t in the real world. I think we’re teaching people how to drive well in a safe place. And it’s less expensive than driving on a real track day.”
Forza Motorsport 2 is currently due for release on June 8th. Look out for our review shortly after release.
Originally Written By: Scott Webber