--- title: "Tesla Is Now Letting Drivers Play Video Games While the Car Is Moving" description: "Tesla is allowing drivers to play video games on its vehicles' massive touchscreens — while driving." date: "2021-12-07" modified: "2021-12-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-drivers-video-games-car-moving" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "autopilot" - "full self-driving" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Is Now Letting Drivers Play Video Games While the Car Is Moving ![Tesla is allowing drivers to play video games on its vehicles' massive touchscreens — while driving.]() *\Image: Tesla\* ## Gaming While Driving Tesla is allowing drivers — yes, the person behind the wheel who is ideally preoccupied with tasks such as "steering" — to play video games on its vehicles' massive console touchscreens while driving. "I only did it for like five seconds and then turned it off," Tesla owner Vince Patton [told *The New York Times*](). "I’m astonished. To me, it just seems inherently dangerous." The feature has reportedly been available for some time. Given that the company is already [facing fierce scrutiny]() for rolling out its still unfinished Full Self-Driving beta to customers, it's not exactly a good look. ## Eyes on the Road Having drivers inattentive while behind the wheel by allowing them to play games — including a strategy game, a jet fighter game, and solitaire — is bound to raise eyebrows among regulators. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [recently opened]() an official investigation into Teslas crashing into stationary emergency response vehicles while having the company's Autopilot self-driving software turned on. It's worth noting that distracted driving remains a major cause of traffic deaths in the US, the *NYT* reports. And it's only getting worse, with more drivers taking their eyes away from the road to look at their smartphones. Carmakers are also [increasingly using]() larger center control screens to display information, shifting away from tactile and easily manipulated buttons or dials. Making matters worse, Tesla uses a simple camera, which isn't effective at night, to supervise the driver to ensure they're actively paying attention and looking at the road ahead. General Motors, on the other hand, implemented a far more reliable infrared sensor for its [Super Cruise driver-assist system](). Regulators are far from impressed. "It’s incredibly frustrating," Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told the newspaper. "We’re trying to warn the public and tell Tesla, ‘Hey, you need to put some safeguards in.’ But they haven’t." **READ MORE:** [Tesla Drivers Can Now Play Video Games Even With Car Moving]() \[*The New York Times*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Tesla Engineers Say Elon Musk Misled the Public About Autopilot’s Safety]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()