Do Feeble Arguments Justify PTO's Eolas Findings?

Virtual Golf: More Real Than Reality?

from the when-is-virtual-reality-too-good... dept

Thu, Mar 25th 2004 9:07am — Mike Masnick

I've never been a huge golf fan, though I know many people who are quite addicted to the game. Almost all of them also spend time playing golf video games - and they insist the level of detail in those games is remarkable. Over at Wired Magazine, Steven Johnson has written an article about how people are finding that the knowledge gained in video game golf is actually helping people when they go out on the course for real. He tells the story of one guy who became a top player at virtual golf without ever playing the real game. Eventually he went out on the course, and found that he picked up the game much faster than your average player - mostly because he could better visualize the shots he wanted to take. He also talks about the level of reality associated with expensive golf simulation machines where you hit the ball into a screen (that's projecting one of these video games) and the system very accurately picks up the ball's trajectory.

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thecaptain, 25 Mar 2004 @ 9:41am

totally understandable.
A virtual golf game (even the earlier Links franchise, which was very good back in the 486 era) will allow you to explore strategy and the mechanics of the game (ie: what club hits what, where to aim, how to plan your shots towards the cup and such). Today's golf games are even MORE realistic and can allow you to get comfortable with specific real courses.

After that, its just a question of getting the REAL feel for the club and learning what you can do with them rather than your computer player. The rest is all strategy and mental which you can pick up quite nicely from the computer game.

And I'm certain virtual golf isn't the ONLY example of this.
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- Anonymous Coward, 25 Mar 2004 @ 11:19am
  
  Re: totally understandable.
  > And I'm certain virtual golf isn't the ONLY example of this.< br>
  Didn't one of the World Series of Poker winners just a few years ago learn and sharpen his skills using computer games and on-line gaming?
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  - Mike (profile), 25 Mar 2004 @ 11:21am
    
    Re: totally understandable.
    Yeah, Chris Moneymaker.
    
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20030527/0223211.shtml
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- Permanent4, 26 Mar 2004 @ 10:09am
  
  Re: totally understandable.
  Interplay's Virtual Pool 2 did wonders for my billiards game back in the mid-90s.
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Darren William Farthing, 24 Feb 2007 @ 6:54pm

how much
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