Taking Games A Wee Bit Seriously

While motorists and pedestrians shouldn’t worry too much about rogue Katamari Damacy players, Kozy Kitchens’ experience with having a difficult time separating her real-life consciousness from that of her game playing is all too common among hard-core gamers. It’s so common, in fact, that game publishers might want to consider warning their customers that they may soon be unable to tell the difference between the game and reality.

While the Wired article that quote was taken from might be a bit overwrought, I do have to admit that extended gaming sessions do tend to have an affect on how I perceive (and sometimes interact with) the real world.
For instance, after playing Gran Turismo 3 for extended periods of time, I tended to drive a lot more aggressively, brake a lot later and even found myself thinking “If I can just cut into the oncoming lane on that curve up ahead, I’ll avoid sloughing off too much speed”. After playing Grand Theft Auto 3, I found myself looking to take shortcuts across backyards and looking for crazy jumps to attempt. We’re not even going to talk about Burnout 3…
As is generally the case with these sorts of stories, Slashdot has an interesting discussion on the subject.