Will GT5 teach me anything about real world driving

  • Thread starter Thread starter GT'S BiG FaN
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GT's physics are nowhere near good enough to learn the driving characteristics of any car or proper racing line for any track. Maybe a complete novice can be helped by teaching the fundamentals of racing, but GT is far too arcade-like to benefit experienced drivers.
 
I disagree with you Zenith, GT5 certainly has a great ability to teach the fundamentals and certainly teach about weight shifting and racing line. It can't teach about trial braking and the likes but its certainly no where near as bad as you are saying. When you think of a GT5 player, approximately what level are you thinking??

If you take GT5 seriously and have improved to become a fast driver by understanding the theory and how cars react then yes, I believe it transfers to the road. If you are a crap driver in GT5 then it will make no difference at all, if anything could even make you worse. I think this is the key here, there is a big difference between someone who genuinely approaches it to learn and to become fast compared to some guy who wall bangs, cuts grass and is erratic (is actually slow but thinks he is fast).

I have plenty of PC sim experience plus various GT games a high level and can without a doubt say it has made me a better driving by understanding physics and how the cars will react in various situations. It has actually caused me to much a more careful and aware driver compared to lots of my friends due to knowing just how easy it is to get into trouble.

In the few hairy moments I've had over the years I've had a natural ability to react correctly and control the car nicely, I like to think this is due to my sim racing background but I guess we can never know for sure.

Considering the use of simulators in racing itself + pilots I would have to wager it makes a difference.

Also in regards to traffic... I found that my experience in racing with real people online in proper league events (so they were held to some driving standard) really did help me in being able to read traffic on the road. Driving in 30+ car grids online, passing and overtaking them cleanly then coming up and lapping at least half of those throughout the race really does expose you a lot to being able to properly negoiate and read traffic. Now of course its not the same as the road but I still firmly stand by the fact that you can certainly learn the basics and it will help.

So many times on the road I can tell what a driver is going to do before they have signalled or completed it just because I can read the way the car is moving in relation to the lanes, speed, and what is coming ahead.

So basically, you can make a strong argument saying simulator video games do make you a better driver IF you have the right attitude to begin with.
 
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No need for a "real driving simulator". It didn't help for me personally. I was driving a car yeaaars before any race game existed. I had to learn to drive the hard way.
I don't see how a game can help you learn to drive a real car in daily life. You're just sitting in a motionless seat, watching a flat game on a tv/monitor. The clutch isn't even modelled properly and heel and toe is in real life a lot harder than on pc steering wheel/pedals (not that you need heel and toe, it's just an example).

Real race drivers use simulators to learn the track, braking points etc... but I don't think that they use a simulator to learn how to drive or become better at racing (Could be wrong though).
There are "real traffic simulators" which can help with learning the traffic rules etc... .

I got this place where I learned to drive, control my car properly. Practiced there for nealy 10 years and almost became an instructor myself.

Come to think of it. It has been 2 and a half year since my last session.
 
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The biggest help from GT was probably reading the GT1 manual. Back then, manuals meant something (though to be fair, GT5's in game manual is fairly good).

Knowledge about weight transfer, understeer, oversteer, tire grip are all very important and somehow these are things I heard about in a PS1 racing game, but not very much in driving school. GT is also great for learning racing lines and a few racing techniques, but it's not good enough to teach you a particular car or how to set up a car for a track.
 
kikie
Real race drivers use simulators to learn the track, braking points etc...
Click to expand...

I can see how this would be very useful to translate to the real world - RACING.

But at every moment when considering this question, the "Will GT5 teach me anything about real world driving?"
The answer should be an EMPHATIC NO!
In real world driving - there are speed limits, traffic laws, and real people with their babies & grandmas in the other cars!!!
 
Sure it will teach you about real world driving.

Many drivers on the roads have no clue how to drive.

Just like the AI in GT5.

Lol!
 
watermelonpunch
I can see how this would be very useful to translate to the real world - RACING.

But at every moment when considering this question, the "Will GT5 teach me anything about real world driving?"
The answer should be an EMPHATIC NO!
In real world driving - there are speed limits, traffic laws, and real people with their babies & grandmas in the other cars!!!
Click to expand...

It also has wet roads, aquaplaning and emergency manavoures, that which a simulator will help with immensley!
 
One thing I can tell for sure is that GT did taught me the very raw basics of cars physics. Yes, we don't drive at racing pace on daily driving but in slippery conditions even at low speeds it can be tricky. On-screen driving with a wheel gave me the basic idea of how the car's weight shifts, under and over-steering recovery and when I should or should not brake or change gears. I mean it definitely won't teach you to drive, especially on real life roads with traffic and rules. But the basic idea of car control can be achieved through simulation.
 
Sorry but at my age, I just worry about kids getting this idea that they're going to get some real world experience in game playing dirty shuffle in hit-to-pass derbies, go out on the road in traffic & think they're ace drivers & the rules don't apply to them, and think the laws of physics won't either. :sick: :scared:

I mean I always hear "well in real motorsports they hit other cars".
Yes, they do. But the fact is in gt5 you can hit someone & carry on... in real motorsports you hit another car from behind & have their exhaust pipe puncture you're radiator - you're done.

Judging by how some of these kids race online, can you blame me? :rolleyes:

No, you need to focus on learning traffic rules, and more importantly WHY there are traffic rules.
For the most part, any fancy driving you've learned in a simulation won't even be all that necessary when you're driving 35mph & sitting in traffic on route from your suburban development to your job on the commercial strip. :rolleyes:
For the most part, being cautious is the TOP necessity, and really 90% of what's needed from your driving, when on real roads with other cars as a means of transportation.
 
Well I have a comment here....was going down a snow packed downhill mountian road in a Ford Taurus ( not the brightest of ideas but with no food we had to get to the store ) and the car went into a spin...i managed to steer out of the spin and keep the car off the guardrails...in part to my god reaction and not panicking and in part due to my rally/snow and other GT driving.
 

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