Does Arcade or Driving Simulators help with actual driving
I am a learner driver, and I understand that simulation games or VR can never replace actual practical experience during lessons. However, I am thinking whether simulation games can complement the learning process.
I am a learner enrolled in SSDC. Like in any other driving schools in Singapore, practical lesson slots are difficult to book, if not impossible to camp, if you are not using bots. I have been enrolled with SSDC since Aug last year and have been consistently camping for slots and e-appts.. Maybe i have yet to understand the system, but I am sure there are others like me who struggle.
I am thinking that if simulations help, then learners like me can use them to elevate certain issues we face:
Difficulty of getting a practical lesson. If we can use simulators to practice and get a feel of vehicle depth etc, then we might progress faster during actual lessons, reducing the total number of lessons we need?
Long pause between lessons. If lessons are months apart, chances are we would have forgotten some content when the next lesson comes. Can simulations serve as practice or recap sessions?
Save time and money. I struggle with gauging whether I am in the middle of the lane. Some people use the driving wheel as a reference. But in my case, I find that not very accurate. When it comes to stopping at a stop line, instructors mention that the bottom of the mirror should be aligned with the stop line, but in my case, I found out I needed to estimate a 10cm gap (in my view) to accurately stop before the stop line. When performing a turn, I feel more practice is needed, but not necessarily a guided one. I understand all instructors have different ways and sometimes their views and ours can be very different when we have a huge height difference too. Hence, I am wondering if simulators can feel the gap? For the above skills, I would think self-practice is sufficient for improvement.
I believe that when it comes to parking, simulators might provide great help.
When I say simulations, I mean sim racing rigs in arcades, or private places with a more advanced rig, or getting a wheel and trying out at home. For pure learners, I do not think paying for an elaborate set-up would be worth it, but I love driving games so I am willing to pay for entry-level wheels. After learning to drive, I can use it to play too. 😏
Some driving simulator games I have gathered:
City Car Driving: https://store.steampowered.com/app/493490/City_Car_Driving/
Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1351240/Taxi_Life_A_City_Driving_Simulator/
BeamNG: https://store.steampowered.com/app/284160/BeamNGdrive/
I have seen a video here on someone reviewing how a Logitech G29 could benefit learners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xD6cdVZzo
But also have some saying it doesn't come close to real-life driving (they are thinking racing games, which are of course different): https://www.facebook.com/groups/382501582757987/posts/1586955328979267/
Experienced drivers and fellow learner drivers, what are your views? Does it help? Is it worth it? If you know better games, please introduce them as well. I am quite desperate to get behind the wheel! Please help me out, thank you in advance! 😊