Study suggests driving cars in video games could lead to more purchases in real-life
Click above for high-res image gallery of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
When playing car racing video games, do you find yourself choosing vehicles or brands that you've owned in the past? We are definitely guilty as charged on this count, but it seems that this sort of logic works the other way too. People that play popular games like Gran Turismo and Project Gotham Racing have shown an affinity towards real-life vehicles that they used in the gaming realm. Subaru WRX or Mitsubishi Evolution anyone?
Financial Post researchers recently conducted a brief study that put people in front of gaming consoles running car racing simulators. Other people were placed in separate rooms where the games were being broadcast, but not played. Afterward, both groups were surveyed, and the results were eye opening. Those that played the video games responded that they were 50% more likely to purchase vehicles that they used in the video games than those that just watched.
Sure, these results don't necessarily prove anything, but automakers and advertisers have certainly taken notice. Current estimates put the in-game advertising market at $1.8 billion within the next few years.
Gallery: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
[Source: Financial Post]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Berto 5:07PM (2/09/2009)
Interesting. I suppose that an important factor in my love towards cars is me playing games like Gran Turismo when I was younger, and continuing to do so keeps reinforcing that love.
Being able to afford such cars is a whole different story...
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catgirlshyla 7:49PM (2/09/2009)
Yeah, now exactly where I can find myself a Daihatsu Copen or Midget II Stateside. THAT's the main question.
Berto 7:57PM (2/09/2009)
Get me an F6 and we'll talk lol
catgirlshyla 10:09PM (2/09/2009)
Baby Steps my dear, Baby Steps.
Sea Urchin 5:11PM (2/09/2009)
WOW, that first shot looks so real, i wouldn't even say it is a video game.
But is that a good thing?
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Mazda FTW! 5:13PM (2/09/2009)
Does anyone else feel that playing a real sim like Gran Turismo 3 growing up made you a better driver? A lot of people told me early on when I was learning to drive that I was reading the car and its behaviour and the traffic flow and speed very well for someone with little experience.
Did years of learning how to take perfect corners and learn to feel the feedback from the controller teach us to feel the actual car as well?
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Drewboy 5:25PM (2/09/2009)
I agree, I felt I learned a lot more about driving dynamics from playing Gran Turismo. I think I already had my license when it came out but I felt it certainly helped that I could mess around on the game and learn how to control a vehicle in near limit conditions. It probably saved me from getting t-boned once, actually.
vkchu 5:33PM (2/09/2009)
i remember reading somewhere a long time ago that in gt2, the in game lap time of a track was within a few tenths of a second to what a pro would be doing in real life on the track.
pretty sure i read that f1 drivers practice on sims too. gt would qualify as a sim.
Sea Urchin 5:44PM (2/09/2009)
This is an ABSOLUTE lie. I personally watch a lot of Adult movies, and even i know that i am horrible at that.
Pat 6:54PM (2/09/2009)
@sea urchin
- but what if it were a realistic interactive adult movie (there goes my billion dollar idea).
fizzandpop 6:54PM (2/09/2009)
Sea Urchin, I have to disagree with you. My consumption of adult movies has helped me out more than once when I've been delivering pizzas to sorority houses.
Mazda FTW! 7:51PM (2/09/2009)
"consumption of adult movies"
Quite literally, depending on the genre you were watching....
Berto 8:02PM (2/09/2009)
I agree with you Mazda. Not having to worry about destroying a real car or dying makes a world of difference because it allows you to explore driving, you become more aware of what COULD happen and so on. Even as far as making you a bit more confident.
When I went to take my driving test I was told something similar too.
I guess it could differ from person to person, but in my personal experience it has helped me.
R 10:28PM (2/09/2009)
GT4 definitely helped improve my driving, particularly the license tests. Getting all gold on that is a real challenge; you really can't get away with driving like an 4$$. Before the license tests, I could never beat my friend at gokarting, after the license tests, he couldn't catch up. Even now, we've since upgraded to real cars for real track time (same model, different year), and he has yet to catch me.
BigMcLargeHuge 5:27PM (2/09/2009)
Wouldn't the reverse be implied?
People that have owned a number of project cars tend to buy video
games to spec them out.
That turbo kit and you wanted for your MR2? That paint job on your Corvette? All cars long since booted from the garage? Resurrect them digitally!
I've owned.... 14 vehicles? And since I first spec-ed out cars on
Forza, 3 years ago, I've only owned 1.
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JD 5:18PM (2/09/2009)
@Mazda FTW: I agree with you 100%.
I learned alot just from the Gran Turismo 3 "Licences" that you had to past in order to join some races. GT3 was where I first learned "slow in, fast out" among other things.
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EJ25RUN 5:20PM (2/09/2009)
This could be both good and bad. Good in that more manufactuers get into the Gran Turismo world. The bad could be the evil that is EA games get more contracts and out companies like Lamborghini and Porsche out of GT where they belong.
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energystrom 5:28PM (2/09/2009)
I'd say it's good. This means that auto companies will actually be eager to sell licenses for greatly reduced prices to video game companies, which means more diversity for us as gamers =).
Ken 5:36PM (2/09/2009)
I was thinking this same exact thing today... freaky! My 'main' car in one of the Gran Tourismo series (either 2 or 3) was a Mazda6 - it definitely reinforced my attraction to the car up to the point where I was old enough and could afford to buy the car this past summer.
If this case holds water, though, I should be expecting a Castrol Supra in my driveway sometime soon...
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Tom Winch 5:45PM (2/09/2009)
I use two driving sims, iRacing's online sim and F1 Championship Season 2000. While I don't think the sims drastically help me driving my GT-2 race car, mostly because you don't "feel" the grip through the seat of your pants, they definitely help my track knowledge. The iRacing sim is right on the money as far as Laguna Seca (a track I've driven in reality) goes. As far as influencing my car purchases, I've been driving Michael Schumacher's 2000 season Ferrari F1 car quite a bit, but unfortunately I don't see purchasing any Ferrari, let alone an F1 car in the near future.
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