Mario Kart Wii Used In Driver’s Ed

Kotaku already did this with GTA4 and was more accurate scientifically.

@Mister Jack is Giving Out Telltale Discounts!: dont forget those damn question mark boxes.

It's a good idea, and I think there is a lot to learn from experiments such as these, though, as a lot of other people have said, Mario Kart isn't exactly the best game for teaching people to drive...

I do sincerely believe that anyone who has tried Burnout Paradise while drunk will never try to drive under the influence in real life. I know I won't. It's crazy just how much worse you drive in a game, even when you're near the legal limit of .08 %.

Pachinko

@Dangeresque Wants to Take You For a Ride: Yes indeed, I think it's a good idea too, but with bad execution... Perhaps they chose Mario Kart Wii for the wheel. I don't know.

Pachinko

@Mister Jack is Giving Out Telltale Discounts!: Tell me about it! Just yesterday I was nearly rammed by a maniac with a Golden Mushroom! Talk about crazy!

Actually to be honest I think this is an interesting and fun way to attempt to show the effect of things like cell phones on your ability to drive. It isn't so much the driving aspect but rather any sort of thing that requires constant hand eye coordination and thinking that suffers when drunk high or distracted and this illustrates that perfectly. Now there are plenty of other games they could have used I agree with that, but mariokart is well known and more importantly simple but hard to master these make for a good base tester for the experiment.

They could have used Granturismo or Grid or Burnout but I think Mariokart was a good choice.

EternalStar

@n00b_pwner: I would actually love some PDZ floor arrows. I have my Burnout license and I still get lost!

What's next? Mario Kart being used in Sex ed?

"So, here's a list of places where you shouldn't stick your wiimote"

Paratrooper

Maybe not texting but I used to work in the O.R. for quite a while and it is far from uncommon to have the surgeon take personal calls while operating. The nurse in the room just holds the phone up to their ear and I've seen surgeons have arguments with their wives (and mistresses) while still performing the operation. So, I'm all for the "Trauma Center" training!

Josh Blackman

@KingSeafoam: sorry i ment' Distraction lol.

By deviously getting the kids to play the game at all already fails them in "detraction".

@hagridore: Go the way of Fuel. No need for distracting minimap, and have these huge red arrows guide you the entire time.

When I go to driver's ed, I will try my best to convince the teachers there to make us play Burnout Paradise.

@Solday:
I thought you needed to sleep?

And people say video games can't teach people anything.

@idrawrobots: Of course they are all joking, but there really is a huge difference in the amount of attention required between doing well in this game and real life. I mean come on, in one scenario you are driving around nicely banked turns at 65mph with traffic moving almost uniformly versus doing hairpins at what feels like the equivalent of 150mph with traffic moving around like bumper cars.

@DarkLinkinfinite: Yea, I think a major issue with this is games like Mario Kart attempt to "simulate(for lack of a better word) speeds far in excess of typical speed limits. Also the fact that your opponents bump into you frequently even when you are giving the game your whole attention doesn't really help. If you took this seriously in any sort of way you would probably be too afraid other cars were gonna hit you to even want to drive a car, regardless of distractions.

What about Burnout Paradise? I look at the mini-map for more than two seconds and crash spectacularly without fail. Lesson learned.

I don't think anyone has to worry about a brain surgeon texting his buddies while he's operating.

RiotControl

@DarkLinkinfinite: I hope they meant, best "for the money"

Your about to complete your license and then bang, A blue shell hits you right before the end. Had that feeling to many times :/

@Dangeresque Wants to Take You For a Ride: I understand the sarcasm, but I also understand what the school is using for.

I think the quote about it being the most accurate simulator on the market is definitely odd, as we all know Mario Kart isn't exactly the best driving simulator, but if they mean the best "take your eyes off the road and you get f'ed in the A" simulator, then they might have a point.

That's when you know you got a successful system, teachers wana play the damn thing in school.

and for demonstrating the effects of drinking and driving, they can refer to owen's GTA:DUI video.

jaeohen

I think you all are missing the point. They aren't using Mario Kart to teach driving.

I, uh, really don't get all the sarcasm. It really is a good idea. Granted, perhaps there are better games for this practice, maybe Forza would be good, but I think it would prove a very basic point that many teen drivers fail to recognize- take your eyes off the road, and you're screwed. Would we prefer that our youth learn this lesson by plowing into railings and getting hospitalized or killed?

Maybe it's just too early, and my sense of humor is on the fritz. Certainly, it's a humorous situation, having Mario Kart in Driver's Ed. But does anyone actually think it's a bad idea?

@Chupakun uses Synonym Attack!:

I think we can all agree to this standard!

GtheMVP99

Oh man, I only wish we had these courses when I went to high school. Then we'd learn to take shrooms while driving for a speed boost, and actually run over those cardboard boxes in the middle of the road marked with a "?" to get said shrooms.

Allen Park

@Obey__: oh christ lololol

trunkenmath

@Solday:
"I thought it was funny."
worry sorry I need sleep.
"wow sorry"
... I need help.

Well it's about time they started doing this. I'm tired of spinning wildly out of control when I drive over banana peels, and nothing pisses me off quite like when I get a sudden reduction in speed because the car is haunted. And don't even get me STARTED on those fucking lightning bolts that come out of the sky and make my whole vehicle tiny right in the middle of the damn freeway. Rush hour traffic is dangerous enough already!

Mister Jack is Giving Out Telltale Discounts!

When I first heard this I thought is a funny. I didn't realize Mario Kart was anything like driving a car. I've tried power sliding and it didn't end up to well.

Because nothing puts a kink in your "powerslide" like a text that says "i'm late."

Obey__

Good practice to curb road rage atleast. If you can enter some Zen-like mode in the face of blue shells, then you should be allowed to drive. Theoretically.

I weep for the future.

@Solday: You need to wait for the blue sparks ;-)

Kotakufan777

@V1L3: Sadly, yes, "our youth" is beyond help.

As a member of the current generation of teenagers (I'm 19) I have to say that the majority of my peers are retarded and irresponsible. For some reason, they are hard-inclined against listening to common sense, doubly so if they're told by someone wiser.

Ping

I wish my drivers' ed teacher used Mario Kart Wii. I went driving yesterday and I had no idea what to do when the blue turtle shell was rapidly approaching. There are just some things that cannot be taught in the classroom.

(But my drivers' ed class has one thing than these blessed souls with MKWii: cheesy videos from the 80's! One notable offense was a rap about the "no zones" [blind spots.])

I'm pretty sure this is not meant to teach them how to drive, but to show them how badly texting would affect their driving.

MechaTama31

@Crypysmoker: They were being sarcastic, you know that?

Still, the choice of Mario Kart is pretty laughable anyway. I'm sure the teacher only chose it because it's the only game with a wheel that he/she knows. Never mind the fact that you can get much more accurate driving games and play them using much better wheel controllers. Pretty soon you'll see people using Zelda as a fencing simulator.

RockyRan

@Cururu: Why do you assume that people will use a thumbstick with other games? Don't you realize that the concept of a video game driving wheel has been around for longer than the entire Mario Kart series?

RockyRan

@hagridore: Wouldn't that discourage the use of GPS more so than text messaging?

V1L3

@Dangeresque Wants to Take You For a Ride: "Would we prefer that our youth learn this lesson by plowing into railings and getting hospitalized or killed?"

Does it really take hospitalization to explain that texting while driving is stupid?

If so, "our youth" is beyond help.

When did common sense become something that required teaching?

V1L3

I think Phoenix Wright is actually a pretty cool game.. Not like real life obviously, but some of the logic is the same.

Sanni Wehbe Jr

Note to self:

Fly over/Drive around COLORADO.

Special Note: Under no circumstances go to Colorado.

RedundantInsomniac

"The most acurate simulator on the market" ???
Wow.
This fully explains why none of you damn people can drive nowadays.
Really??
Why not try somethign with real driving physics.. maybe a real worl senario..
NO, Lets put them on a go kart that turns sideways while going forward that shoots various projectiles from it, hits arrows that make you go faster and when you hit walls it just makes a noise.

Wow

Crypysmoker

@xmywreckingballx: yea t9 is for the win.

Fits in nicely with this here prior article:

[kotaku.com]

And yes, it does help, but I use a GameCube controller, so that's sort-of cheating.

Cranker

How about they just play Mario Kart DS while ACTUALLY driving?

I find this to be a far lulzier concept.

@Pachinko: I believe that is exactly the reason. While the game play of other racing games is much more realistic, those games would not simulate the driving experience as well as the Wii Wheel does for this exercise. They are conditioning the students to recognize that texting while behind any wheel will lead to distraction, accident, and being clobbered by a green shell that they could have otherwise avoided. You just can't simulate the driving experience as well with a thumb stick.

Cururu

@MagickBocks:
Usually if i'm texting while driving, it's on a straight road. Not a winding road with penguins slip and sliding around. How ridiculous. I can't text while driving anymore anyway, I just got the blackberry curve. I'm not used to going from 12 buttons to 40 buttons, holy shit.

@Dangeresque Wants to Take You For a Ride: Agreed. It's a great idea. The fact that Mario Kart isn't an accurate simulation of driving is irrelevant, it's just fun.

They could've used a game of darts, a typing test or something even further removed from driving to illustrate the same point. But something kids are likely to do in their spare time is going to get a more enthusiastic reception and the lesson will sink in better.

Concentrate on what you're doing or you'll spaz out.

cheeseboybeans

Could've used Burnout Paradise with the 360's steering wheel, crashes would've scared them straight.

alpha064

"Next up, Vail Christian High School has students play Trauma Center and Phoenix Wright to teach them how to to be doctors and lawyers."

Oh god... If only life were so easy :/ ... *starts to cut open a patient* Ahh shit, let me try again! *restarts*

Most accurate? I wish I had a red shell for those fuckers that cut me off.

"Next up, Vail Christian High School has students play Trauma Center and Phoenix Wright to teach them how to to be doctors and lawyers."

Do they have to text while playing?

cinemandrew

Mario Kart Wii is impossible to play even if you're not distracted. They should just break out the N64 version; it would save the school some cash and the kids wouldn't have to contend with horrible, broken controls. Unless, of course, they want to use an unplayable game to drive their point home.

H_Chinaski

Already saw a driving game set up at the fair, trying to prove the same thing... They got mad if you sped :(

@Greenman: Try driving in my area, then we'll see if you stand by your previous statement.

RussellCaecus

@Ping: If the adults of our world drive horribly, what can we expect from the teenagers of today? I recently just got my driver's license out of necessity and two times while learning how to drive some retard came within inches of crashing into me, and this was on the highway going 60 miles an hour in heavy traffic. I'm 19 and I can drive better than most adults. The problem comes down to people that don't care about anybody other than themselves being behind the wheel. For anybody that wants to know, in order to take your driving test you have to log in 50 hours of driving time with a licensed adult where I live.

RussellCaecus

Well it does work to prove you cant even play a videogame while text messaging.

@Josh Blackman:
Trauma Center training would only serve to teach surgeons to swear constantly every time a spiderappeared on a patient's heart and make then cut occult symbols into people's bowels.

TrjnRabbit

@Mister Jack is Giving Out Telltale Discounts!:
That's nothing, the other day I was driving home from work, no cars around me for miles then all of a sudden out of the air comes a blue shell.

Blows the crap out of my car and the next thing I know dozens of cars appear out of nowhere and run over the wreckage.

I was very lucky to escape unharmed.

Then some dickhead comes along and throws a bob-omb next to me.

I've been in hospital drifting in and out of consciousness ever since and have to buy a new car to top it all off because my insurance doesn't cover blue motherfucking shells.

TrjnRabbit

Great idea to easily and effectively show kids how fast things can go wrong.