There are many ways in which you can improve your car driving skills. There is the theory side of things where you have to get familiar with the different kinds of road signs and know what they mean. There is, of course, the practice side where you actually have to get in a car and start driving and get better with every mile you cover and you can also start with a driving school as you can learn safely and fast. And then there is the virtual side of things.
This virtual realm is best embodied by video games. There are video games galore and experts seem to agree that if you play racing games it can help improve your car driving skills in the real world as well.
The broader picture
Video games of all kinds and especially racing games have been known to result in:
- Better hand eye coordination.
- Improved reflexes.
- Making quick and correct choices and
- Cognitive development as well.
All of the above and more go into making a better car driver.
Choosing correctly
When you are driving your car on a busy road, one of the biggest skills you need to deploy is the ability to make a correct decision. This could be deciding whether to slow down or go left or come to a complete stop. Video games can enhance this decision making ability immensely. Yes, indubitably, this decision making ability is best honed in the real world but the world of games can help this process along significantly.
After all, success in a racing game depends on the ability to make many of these decisions – not just swiftly but correctly as well.
Think of it as simulation
Everyone knows that pilots log in many hours in a flight simulator before they do the real flying out there. Think of racing games as the equivalent of a simulator. When a game is as close to the real thing as possible, it allows you to become aware of the different kinds of challenges that you can expect when you drive. It also allows you to practice things like gear changes, slowing down to negotiate a piece of difficult terrain or even braking suddenly to cater to a jaywalker.
Multi-tasking
This is a fabulous skill to have in virtually every walk of life but in driving, it is an essential strength. Racing games can help improve this strength as well. There are two things here – one is the ability to assess different inputs and the other is to ignore the non-important details. In fact, games can also teach you the ability to ‘look ahead’ to cater for as-yet-unseen hazards.
In fact there are games that are based on real life situations that bring together the streets and safety spots and other details from the real world into the gaming world. This can, again, be a huge advantage for even experienced drivers who want to get even better.
Perhaps most importantly, it can teach people to be safer when it comes to driving as well. A wrong decision in a game can get the driver to understand all the consequences arising out of it. If, for example, the drivers are actually racers, then they may have to prioritize their safety by wearing racing helmets.
