Does GT5 make you a better driver

[Nerine]

In response to the OP.

A MASSIVE NO!

Definitely not.

For a racing driver to learn a course layout, perhaps.

I have driven some of the cars in this game on proving grounds.

Whilst GT does a good job of conveying what it can through a steering wheel, you cannot feel the car as you can in real life.

A car reacts differently in real life.

Having said that, playing the game can teach you about racing lines and breaking points and to some extent, throttle control. So I guess you could say, from a racing point of view, that is an improvement.

I think it increases knowledge and theory, rather than actually putting it into practice.
Real world phenomenon such as FEAR come into play in real life. You don't have that in a game.

 

[pay2021]

Positive answer: no

 

[RikkiGT-R]

I dunno about GT5 but GTA made me a better serial killer.

:lolasaurus:


No GT5 does not make you a better driver but, as has been mentioned, because of the series I know so many tracks around the world like the back of my hand.
I would still kill myself in the first corner of virtually all of them if I were to 'have a go' in real life, but at least I knew the corner was there.

 

[raceur]

I'm going to say yes, it can help you become a better driver. It doesn't 'make' you a better driver, it just provides a few of the tools for you do that yourself. The term 'driver' was undefined, but we can make that either a road or track driver'.

Anyway instead of looking at how GT5 differs from reality, let's focus on what it can teach you that works in real life. Here is a short list:

1. Smoothness
2. Racing lines
3. Recognising and dealing with under/oversteer
4. General car dynamics
5. Effect of tuning
6. Dealing with pressure. If you're leading an online race of 20 people by half a second, that's pressure.
7. Steering wheel technique practice (best off learning it properly IRL first)
8. Learning a track
9. Throttle/brake modulation

If you've ever seen a young kid who has no idea how to drive learn GT then you'll realise they can figure out a few simple things such as accelerator or brake, how the steering wheel works and more on the simulator. Simulation training is used in many applications now to cut down on training, and driving is no different.

The important thing is to realise what GT5 *doesn't* teach you, and for road driving that's primarily observation so you don't need advanced car-control skills at all. For track driving it's the fear of death! And that's where simulators have an advantage, you can do dangerous things without risk and practice recovery.

So overall, GT5 has some significant value for real-world drivers but as Interludes said, don't go thinking being an ace in the game translates directly to the real world.

 

[fr33style]

Street Fighter IV made me better at throwing fireballs.

 

[TheMarco]

A friend of mine who does a lot of track racing (he has a Lotus Elise and a Lotus 7 racecar) tells me that no game has any real value for race training because of what others have already said as well: You can't FEEL the car. For this reason he's not even interested in playing games like GT5 or even ultra-realistic race simulators.

What I can say from my own experience though is that for novices there's probably some stuff to learn that matters. I remember going on a karting day when I had been playing tons of GT1 and GT2 a long time ago. I applied the basic stuff I learned in GT such as 'only brake in straights and only before the corner', 'slow in, fast out' and following a race line and did really well for a beginner. Most people that day were novices just like me and I found myself having a considerable edge over most of them on the karting track because of what I learned in GT games.

I wasn't fast enough to set killer times or anything but unlike most others I never spun out or lost speed by sliding through corners etc. so I set at least decent lap times.

 

[shigllgetcha]

No. It will most likely make you drive faster and more recklessly

 

[JackC8]

Well, it certainly gives you a good idea of how to go through corners correctly, but I think in real life, the G forces, the large differences in steering wheel and suspension feedback, and the fact that your life is actually at risk, would tend to push that knowledge to the back of your mind.

Sorry, I wasn't 100% positive in my response.

 

[ZBlacktt]

I learned how to play the guitar with guitar hero.

 

[blindsidefive0]

Short answer, it can help at the track a little if you rely too heavily on driving aids.
It might help you on the road by keeping your hand-eye-coordination and reflexes sharp.

Long Answer:

Honestly if you have ASM, Skid Recovery, or Driving Line on it doesn't help anything.

ASM/Skid Recovery - this will teach you bad (and potentially harmful) habits in real life, like braking mid-corner. In many cars, not just the Lotus Elise Top Gear challenge that everyone complains about, you can't even lift the throttle in a corner without getting into trouble - nevermind hitting the brake.

Driving line - if there's one thing that GT can teach you to do, it's to look ahead. The driving line keeps your eyes down at the track surface and not up and alert, looking ahead at visual reference points.

Simulators can help you learn the track, but there's a few components of learning a track.
1 - where does the track go?
2 - what is the proper line?
3 - how does one drive the track safely (finding corner workers, runoff areas, etc)?
4 - how does one increase speed?

GT will help you learn 1, and MAYBE 2, but that's it - and only at the few real life tracks that it has in the game. I ran iRacing for a couple hours before going to Watkins Glen for the first time - it helped me find my way around the track during the first run group, but I spent the rest of the weekend taking off an additional 10+ seconds on a 2:20 lap. It should be noted that iRacing is a real simulator that is significantly more realistic than GT.

 

[s15specr]

By no negitive respones he obvz means like sensible answers, some people...

 

[RacingManiac]

If you are playing with wheels and pedal, without aids, and actually tries to be clean and methodical, I think you can develop some awareness of being smooth with your input and how the car reacts to the way you input your control. The game also can show you some generalized behavior of different types of car at limit. But without a lot of the seat in the pants feedback it'll be hard to directly translate.

I will echo some of the previous comment though, knowing some thing before hand and try them in game will help you in game. The reverse is probably less true.

 

[fr33style]

This question would be more plausible if it said:

Does GT5 make you a better racer?

Which would still disagree with. GT5 doesn't help you check your blind spots, give enough space to cars, following the rules of the road and other defensive driving techniques that a lot of drivers sorely lack in the real world.

 

[bluer32]

i have a modest amount of track experience: 30 or 40 days of hpde's with porsche club, bmwcca, audi club.

i assume for this discussion we are talking about track driving.

i think that GT5 does help in some ways. for me, it helps with practicing catching the car when i've broken the back loose: such a thing requires a very quick initial move with the wheel, and a more modest return. of course, you can't feel the back break loose with your butt, like you can in real life.

it also helps with practicing trail braking, as a lot of the courses are impossible to be good at without it.

it definitely hampers in some ways. one is vision around turns. although the drawing distance is finally far enough that you can really look far down the road, you are stuck looking straight ahead. a good driver will look into a turn for the apex before starting the turn, and will be looking at track out by the time the apex is reached.

the other is braking, as there is no tactile sensation with the brake pedal, pedal modulation, abs. so, i tend to be more on-off with the brake than in real life, which as we all know is not a good habit.

 

[Oldhairpin]

Okay, read up tp the mod's post and then replying here now:

Yes.

1.) I have mentioned before that driving a Dodge Viper in GT1 on road tyres taught me about weight transfer front to back and side to side so that when I took my 404hp Sierra Cosworth around various race tracks, I understodd what was gonna happen, when and why.

2.) I have ridden a GSX-R 1000 around the Nurburgring and without doubt the countless laps on GT4 and Tourist Trophy meant I knew what was coming up even if I had to find the grip levels for myself and remember to use the mirrors for the regulars steaming up behind. A pic for you :-)

 

[rileyra]

It helps me hit vtec between stoplights...

 

[Turkey :D]

It's helped me shift more aggressively and with finesse, as well as improving how I determine the fastest line through turns.

 

[ape_ck]

I do weekend events with my car every now and then and the only thing I can speak to is that it helps with picking your apexes and following your lines; I guess the physics are pretty accurate as well.

There is no way this game can convey the emotional, physical, and psychological strain concerned with being on a track for an extended period of time, not to mention the adrenaline and sense of danger as well.

The mental strain is what caught me off guard on my first full track day, I was exhausted at the end.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I believe it has helped me quite a bit with my driving, BUT...

There is no way this game can convey the emotional, physical, and psychological strain concerned with being on a track for an extended period of time, not to mention the adrenaline and sense of danger as well.

The mental strain is what caught me off guard on my first full track day, I was exhausted at the end.

...this. Whether you are competing against other people, or just simply trying to better your lap time. By the end of the day you are completely drained, physically and mentally. The game can't help you with that.

 

[BoneSawTX]

i'm positive thats a no.

 

[tinram]

Does GT5 make you a better driver (Racer), a definite YES!

I used it to learn/practice left foot braking which i used in autocross events.
Now my left foot is way more precise on the brakes then my right foot.

Also, weight transfer i seem to have gotten a feel for it, i guess it's related to left foot braking.

 

[Rocket Punch]

OP: "Does GT5 make you a better driver"

OP: "the question is simple but only positive responses please."

 

[infamousDee]

While it might be doubtful that GT5 can actually make you a better driver, there's no question that real-life driving skills can translate pretty well into GT5. Polyphony did a great job emulating the way a vehicle feels through the turns.

 

[C.D]

What's more, I have never heard of a video game being used as a driver educational tool, so please do not think that because you experience success in a video game, you will suddenly become a better driver because of it.

plenty of actual professional drivers train themselves with simulators/videogames.

Gran Turismo on PSone taught me more about driving through corners at high speed than any driving license instructor/test ever did and I have yet to get involved in a car accident 11 years or so later.

 

[HuskyGT]

I totally agree with the mod. You have to be able to distinguish reality vs fantasy. On the other hand, I´ve taken my 93 suburban to its limits on an solitary road where I used to live, and with all the precautions taken, I have to say that Gran Turismo teaches you a lot. I mean, the Suburban is a heavy and slow SUV, and will bearly reach its limit other than the brakes fading after the first hard braking. But yes, although it was stupid what I did, I´ve got to admit I learned alot. At the begining, I was afraid of my car because of its terrible braking and size, but now that I know its limits, I´m more confident on daily driving. I´m not encouraging anyone to do this, please drive smart.

 

[YellowG1]

I do weekend events with my car every now and then and the only thing I can speak to is that it helps with picking your apexes and following your lines; I guess the physics are pretty accurate as well.

There is no way this game can convey the emotional, physical, and psychological strain concerned with being on a track for an extended period of time, not to mention the adrenaline and sense of danger as well.

The mental strain is what caught me off guard on my first full track day, I was exhausted at the end.

+1. I needed a cigarette at the end and I never, ever smoke. I was ready to go home and go straight to sleep. I couldn't imagine having to sit through some interview like NASCAR/F1 drivers have to do.

 

[LazySol]

I was 14 when gt1 came out. I think it helped me learn the limits of a car before I ever got behind the wheel. It also taught me never to go near the limits on the street. You WILL crash and you WILL die, regardless of what happens in a video game. So in that way, yes, it made me a better driver.

Although it has to be taken with a grain of salt. I spun my fwd car one day taking a corner too hard and thought, wow, it never happened like that in gran turismo.