Canadian prof develops drunk-driving sim

A new videogame has been developed which aims to simulate the experience of drunk driving. The game, named "Booze Cruise", was coded as an academic project aimed at social betterment, rather than a sick commercial stunt to cash in on the worst aspects of human nature. "The basic story is that this person is absolutely pissed …

[Matt]

Desenitisation?

Hmm, not sure this is a great idea.

You "play" this a couple of times, and get "good" at it.

Great, thinks you, I'm now able to control a car when hammered, it's easy...

Then you put the theory into practice.

[Nick Reid]

Guess there's no need to ask about...

...the Paris Hilton angle on this one.

The taxi's on it's way.

[Anonymous Coward]

Brilliant idea

Practise for 3 or 4 years as a youf, then go out, get shit faced and nobody will notice that you are to pissed to stand, let alone drive, as your skills will be sharper than a sharp thing.

[Matt Milford]

Errrrr.....

Won't some high scoring chavs think that since they can pull off drink driving the game, they can pull off drink driving for real?

[Bo Pedersen]

So where's the download?

This has gotta be fun enough to pass the time while waiting for the pc version of GTA4 :)

how many points for running over the pink elephant?

[Badminstyles]

Education of the wrong sort

Some alcohol addled miscreants may view it as a chance to hone their driving skills with the intention of making them better drivers whilst drunk. "I learnt to drive safely whilst drunk" will probably not go down too well in court, however.

[Chris Allen]

Wonderful!

I just need to reach level 50 in the game, and i'll be able to safely drive home from the pub!

I sense a pending lawsuit... "But I was so good at the drunk driving simulator, I thought i'd be fine!"

[Anonymous Coward]

OK, so where is the download link?

So, where can I download this marvelous sounding wheeze?

[Jacob Reid]

What a random idea...

Only problem is you would need to get drunk in the first place to want to play it.

Perhaps the two drunk effects will cancel each other out

Drunkenness + drunk driving simulator = perfect driving?

[Anonymous Coward]

Instead of another useless sim

Instead of another useless sim with 'delayed reaction times' and visual garbage probably designed by someone that's never drunk more than two beers at a sitting--that never will simulate actual drunk driving, how about letting someone actually get drunk and drive a simulator. Kind of like the old WKRP episode. Their performance and a video of them reacting can be shown to them when they're sober. I can't think of a stronger deterrent than showing a person what they actually look like struggling to focus while pissed.

[Tom]

Stupid If You Ask Me

16 Year Old: "I got Really Good at Booze Cruise, I can do all the challenges, That means i can go out and drink drive for real!"

Nice One!

[Chris C]

Bad idea

This, in and of itself, isn't a bad idea; I actually think it's a good idea. Unfortunately, there are bound to be some idiots who think the experience is "kewl and trippy" and purposely act out that experience for real. And then when they cause damage and possibly kill someone, the game maker will be blamed, no matter how many people have avoided drink/drunk driving because of the game. At least that's the way it would go down here in the U.S.

[Jason Harvey]

pink elephants!

effelumps...

and woozles?

[Haku]

Better at drunk driving?

Just like normal driving games where when the players get good (we're talking Gran Turismo level, not Atari Pole Position!), some of them start believing that because of the time they spent playing driving games, it's made them a better real life driver.

What if kids start playing this drunk-driving sim and get good at being able to avoid crashing (provided the game isn't rigged to make you always crash one way or another), will they start believing that they'll still be in full control of a real life car when drunk?

[Kenny Swan]

Waste...

Wouldn't it be a better idea, more realistic and more fun to just drink 10 pints of Stella and then have a go on an Xbox or something?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think this is a great idea..

..no it's a stupid idea, or maybe a good idea, or.. whatever, or somefing, nahhhh, it's my best mate it is... nahahahahaha!

Where the &^*% is my coat, ah %$!* it, who cares. I've got my car keys, I'm leaving.

[Gareth Irwin]

What if

Like me you get drunk then play the game, will it all come into focus?

I picked the green man icon because it looks like someone has there hand up a horses arse.

[Mark]

RE Desenitisation?

Have to agree

Sorta ironic, when you consider the amount of people who harp on about violence in video games encouraging us to go out and shoot people for real.

[Jacob Reid]

re: So where's the download?

'Parker said the design team hopes to get funding to finish a more complete version before letting schools and police get their hands on the game.'

Now why do you want to play it?

[The Mighty Spang]

too technical

I remember as a youngster playing table hockey (that thing with the bed of air, a puck and a couple of bats) sober, then playing it after 4 pints. half the time couldnt hit the bloody thing, let along in vaguely the right direction.

sod simulations, its just a game.

[Anonymous Coward]

So, using their logic...

I'm qualified to pilot a 777 just because I can land one in flight sim? Cool!

[the Jim bloke]

accurate sim

needs real spew all over the console, and your bladder in a vise.

I know...

they need to combine this with the DARPA vomit strobelight !

[Dale Morgan]

I dont understand...

why people think someones going to get good at this game then jump in a car hammered and try to drive? its not like you see 13 year olds that are amazing at need for speed bombing around city centre and drifting round corners.

[Adrian Esdaile]

Force feedback would make it much better

I'm for it! It should be more realistic though - there should be a mechanism the smashes the would-be drunk driver in the head with a baseball bat if they hit a lightpole. They should wear a full-face helmet of course, we just want to instill a healthy respect for solid objects.

I seem to recal a doco about driving, where a researcher suggested the best way to reduce all road accidents, drunk or not, would be to legally require every car be fitted with 10cm steel spikes on the steering wheel & dashboard, rather than airbags.

Works for me...

[Ru]

Spikes

Thats a lovely plan. If only all accidents were caused by a driver's stupidity. Imagine the hilarity if someone manages to drive into the front of your car!

[Anonymous Coward]

Contradiction

So I guess the Canadians are trying to dissuade their people from <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/03/kiwi_boffins_prove_booze_makes_you_clever/">getting smarter</a>? Think convincing people to take beer responsibly than that drinking is dangerous would be a better idea.

[Pascal Monett]

@Ru

Actually, all accidents ARE caused by driver stupidity.

The only thing is, it's not always the stupid idiot that caused the accident that gets trashed by it.

Thus the spikes are still a bad idea.

Unless they are on my front and rear bumpers, and on my hubcaps.

[Gaz]

@ Pascal

"Actually, all accidents ARE caused by driver stupidity."

What about random tyre blow outs, chavs throwing things off bridges, kids running out, mechanical failures or black ice?

Who cares whose fault the crash is, stick the spikes on, it will make life much more exciting!

Gaz

[Anonymous Coward]

the 6 pack test

Reminds me of the old six pack test.

You finished your GUI app and you need some serious testing.

Down your favorite 6-pack and then see if you can run your own application. And you might want to take some notes of all of the mistakes you make. Tomorrow you can fix some things. Do not even think about looking at the code while stewed.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Pascal Monett

Animals on the road, oil slick, ice, pedestrian stupidity, badly designed roads, no matter how carefully and slowly you drive there's still a possibility of an accident, it's the nature of driving.

[Mark Johnson]

This seems familiar...

We asked 100 Reg readers if playing a drink-driving simulator would make people more likely to drink and drive. Our survey said: Yes, chavs are far too impressionable!

We asked 100 Reg readers if playing violent video games make people violent in real life. Our survey said: Don't be silly, child violence is society's fault!

Hmmmmmm...

[Chris Adams]

@Mark Johnson

There is a big difference in that this is an educational tool that will be pitched to the kids as an accurate depiction of what it's like to drink and drive. The whole point of it is that the kids associate it with the real world out of the gate.

The fantasy world of entertainment games is kept just that, fantasy. If some disturbed kid then mentally crosses the streams and starts to associate it with the real world, or otherwise loses that distinction, that's an issue with that person's mental health/education rather than the content of the game or the way that game is presented.

[Mark Johnson]

@Chris Adams

I don't see how the context in which the game is pitched will necessarily affect the influence it will have on people. Anyway, I'm not going to pretend that I know how exactly how much games influence people - I'm not a psychologist and almost certainly never will be. I'll hazard a guess that makes two of us.

I was just found it interesting that the general reaction on this site to people's calls to ban violent video games was pretty strong. However, keep the question the same but change the context slightly and the reaction is very different.

[Neil]

For the Kids

Oh dear. If ever a phrase was code for "it's rubbish", then "This is aimed not at adults, this is aimed at people who are 13 to 16," must be it.

If you make a comment like that, you're aware that adults think your product is ridiculous and/or stupid, and you implicitly assume that teenagers have lower standards of judgement. And then you're well on your way to being those bank executives from the Natwest adverts.

Quick poll: Has anyone here ever met a teenager who couldn't tell when he/she was being patronised?