Police Fret Over GTA IV's Drunk Driving

I'm going to be quite honest. I like to play Gran Turismo drunk.

I do quite well. And I would say that Gran Turismo is arguably a very good driving simulator and has actually helped me become a pretty good real life driver.

HOWEVER, I NEVER drive drunk in real life. It's just stupid and a matter of personal responsibility. I have TECHNICALLY trained myself to drive drunk, but I don' because I am a responsible person. If I decided to do something irresponsible, I expect that *I* will be punished for it.

How many people are going to go ‘hey if I can master this, I can go out and instead of having a glass of wine or a beer with dinner, I can have 2 or 3 because I’ve been training how to drive intoxicated’? So these are the things that I have to worry about when stuff like this hits the market.

ROFL.
No way - is he serious?

This guy can't really be serious - but yet, I think that he thinks he is.

And I don't trust MADD one bit - I believe they get a cut from DUI's don't they? I don't drink and drive - I have in the past however, but only once or twice.

Every freakin' habitual drunk driver I've ever known doesn't even play video games - they are too busy at the bar and on top of that most are die hard sports fans or country club members. Funny how much little 'hidden knowledge' one gets from working at a country club. It's actually rare to see many of them drive sober. In all seriousness, the public officials are the worst with it too.

So if anything contributes to drunk driving - it's going out to the bar and/or country club. Most people playing video games and drinking are going to stay quite comfortable at home.

On the other hand, how many people are going to say, "Now I don't have to drink anymore; I can do it in GTA without killing myself!"

Wait! I got an even better idea. Instead of outlawing games, it's The Prohibition pt. II ! Just think, by outlawing liquor again, we not only eliminate Drunk Driving, but also Domestic Violence, Alcohol Poisonings, and a load of other problems!

@ aphexbr

"So… there’s a feature in the game that makes it clear how much driving ability is affected by drinking… and the suggested response to this educational tidbit is to ban/restrict the game? Idiots. "


Exactly.

Speaking for myself, here, as a person that is obviously not completely retarded and lacking common sense, but definitely not lacking in fear of death, I would have to say that the drunk driving portrayed in the game is not leaving me wanting to mimic it in real life.

In fact, if any of these yokels would actually play the game, they could clearly see that driving drunk in-game is nearly impossible. You end up hitting everything under the sun, and it is quite a feat to escape the police. It makes you *not* want to try it, in my opinion; although I suppose that it makes a fun little mini-game to see if you can make it home without killing yourself.

But that's just it: it's a GAME. I would never willingly try this in real life under any circumstance, and certainly not because it is (in large quotes) "glorified" in the game. Even with everyday driving, I always have this little fear, because being in a multi-ton machine means that I am putting other people's lives on the line if something goes wrong. That, and my own life, which is both in my own hands and in others.

It's called being a human. It's called having a care for human life. It's something you can loosen up a little within the confines of a game, because you know "these are not real people, and I'm doing things I wouldn't normally be able to do in real life because they have consequences".

And if *I* feel this way, I'm sure there are many other fellow human beings who feel the same.

Any idiot who thinks proficiency in virtual drunk driving can do it well IRL shouldn't be allowed on the road under any circumstances anyway.

And in other news, in The Witcher (a game) you can fight drunk. The game the must teach you how to fight drunk. Oh wait...

Both in The Witcher and in GTA figting and driving a car (in GTA) is very difficult if you have been drinking a lot. In GTA, the police will come after you. If you try to resist arrest, more police will show up...

In The Witcher not so much...

You know, maybe they're right. Maybe we should classify it Adults Only. I mean, not only will it teach people how to drive drunk, but it will teach them how to drive. We'll have 8 year olds playing this game and thinking they can drive their parents car just because they managed to do it in the game. For that matter, let's reclassify any game where you drive as Adults Only, because you could drink yourself and then play the game.

Yeah Right. A controller can't teach you how to drive.

Wouldn't the drinking and driving be more of a deterrent in GTA than, well, encouraging people to try it?

love how real news
http://forums.theeca.com/showthread.php?t=4588

is over looked for GTA 4 spewings.....

Ok, he obviously realises that it can't actually train anyone to drive drunk. He just suggests that some people in the gaming world would think it does. Except for the fact that the gaming world is constantly fighting the idea that you can train on video games. The only people I could see thinking that it is possible would be children under the age of 10. They are unable to drink or drive. They typically shouldn't be playing this game anyways.

(Though, I was rather mature 11 years ago and I played games that were geared towards an adult crowd with no ill effects.)

The biggest problem I see coming for this is people on trial for DUI will suddenly claim inspiration from GTA. Though I find it funny how much they talk about this while in Saints Row you could drink & smoke pot without it affecting your driving at all. People need to stop using GTA as a punching bag.

Cool, but my car doesn't have a d-pad :(

Lt. Scott Simpkins, You Are A Fucking Moron...

*Audience cheers*

Thank you.. Thank you..
Thank you..

I live in Wisconsin which has one of the highest drunk driving rates in the country so this issue hits close to home with me. People think they can drunk drive without any repercussions just after a few drinks. It's really not too far a stretch too think a drunk person would convince themselves into drunk driving after playing the game.

The thing that I am worried about is the game giving players a more casual attitude towards drunk driving. To be fair I haven't played the game yet. I love the GTA series and if the game makes drunk driving seem impossibly hard or horrible than I don't really object to it. I just hope that it doesn't glorify drunk driving in any way.

@WBrian: It doesn't glorify it. I haven't played the game yet, but I heard drunk driving in this is redicously hard to do, and the cops jump all over you the moment it starts and such, so no, this does not glorify it, and besides, even the main character says that he's in no shape to drive when he drinks.

Here's a vid of the mini-game-mission that illustrates taxi cabs and drunk driving

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z1g6M5-krHc

The screen goes blurry and wobbles, the controls suck, and the car swerves everywhere.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dDeSUdQpms0

In this one, Nikko can't even walk 20 ft without falling down. He can't steer either, and the screen gets progressively blurrier (almost like that TV commercial where they keep putting beer glasses in front of the camera)

@Jabrwock: Ugh, I watched the second one, and ugh, it kinda gave me a little motion sickness, and it does look very difficult, if thats a required mission, it looks hard to do.

Once again, it is assumed that gamers are brain-dead morons who think that because it's fun doing something in a game, that we are going to attempt it in real life. There are only two groups of people who would immitate something from a videogame like GTAIV. 1. The mentally disturbed. 2. Little kids. Neither of those two groups should be playing this type of game.

I am sorry for her loss, of course, but she must realize that videogames did not cause her son's death. Videogames don't have this hypnotic power that just commands people to go out and kill other people. If she wants to honor her son, she should try to focus on the real factors that cause criminal behavior. There are a number of factors that turn people into criminals, such as an abusive childhood and poverty.

I criticize MADD for targeting GTA IV because of it's "drunk driving" feature. I attend university, and often I've found a van set up by responsible drinking advocates trying to communicate the perils of drunk driving by featuring a driving simulator. On this simulator, a computer operator can impose poor reaction times, as well as other features that would simulate intoxication, onto the simulator driver. I am pretty sure MADD is grateful to the simulator operators for trying to advocate the responsible use of alcohol. GTA IV's drunkenness is no different. The only difference is that it's a part of a product designed for pure entertainment.

Pure entertainment. The game tries to teach nothing. The game only serves to be entertaining.

It in no way tries to encourage players to perform ANY of the acts featured in the game.

Though I'll admit... I would like to call up a friend and play some darts. Is GTA to blame for that?

Don't worry, I played F-Zero X. I can totally pilot a rocket car at 1000+mph

@ KillianD

You had me at 'Jedi'

These cops are more stupid than they accuse of us gamers of being.Mainly gamers under the age of 40 they think can't tell the difference between reality and Final Fantasy.