New Podcast! Do Racing games cause reckless driving?

From Death Race to Grand Theft Auto, driving games have long fuelled claims that players might be inspired to start mowing down pedestrians outside of the game.Starting with a story about a Toronto police officer linking a hit and run to a copy of Need for Speed found on the offender’s passenger seat, Ben talks Rich through the surprisingly longstanding history of links between video games and reckless driving. We encounter early arcade video games, clowns being run over at anti-car carnivals, and Adam West’s Batman doing British road safety videos. Crash! Bang! Wallop!What a podcast! 

Ill Effects is the podcast hosted by MGC member, Dr Ben Litherland. The podcast explores myths about bad media influences, investigating the bad faith arguments, dodgy data, and moral panics behind claims that the media influence our behaviour and manipulate our minds.