Racing videogame players’ driving experience in natural context does not affect gaze strategy towards tangent point during simulated curve negotiation, but the curvature angle does

During curve negotiation, drivers tend to look at the tangent point of the curve (TP) to control steering. There is a lack of evidence on how experiences of natural and simulated driving are related. This study aimed to investigate effects of experience in natural driving on gaze behavior of racing videogame players. Additionally, it aimed to identify possible effects of curvature angle on fixation patterns. Twenty video game players composed two groups: drivers-gamers and no-drivers-gamers. Participants had their gaze recorded while performing three laps racing on a videogame circuit, which had eleven curves. Areas of interest were defined relative to TP: 3 degrees, 10 degrees of visual angle, and Others. Dependent variables were: Number of Fixations and Total Duration of Fixations. Results showed that natural context driving experience did not change TP visual strategy during curve negotiation in a racing videogame environment. All participants spent approximately half of their number of fixations and total fixation time within 10 degrees around TP. Curvature angles modified fixation patterns, causing higher number of fixations and total fixation time during sharper curves. Results support that experience from natural driving did not change gamers’ gaze behavior during simulated curve negotiation while visual information acquisition from TP was modulated by curvature angle