Many people think that online multiplayer video games, such as World of Warcraft, are simply a waste of time, and can dull the senses and social skills of frequent players. But according to the Boston Herald, a presentation at an American Psychological Association convention this week presented the point of view that so-called massive multiplayer online games (or MMO’s) can actually sharpen the wits of players.
The American Psychological Association (APA) report looked at surgeons who were frequent MMO players. The conclusions of the report determined that playing games like World of Warcraft could improve not only the brainpower of doctors, but also the technical skills involved with making incisions during surgery.
Of course, many studies in the past had determined that there are benefits to playing video games. For example, researchers have discovered that the hand-eye coordination of frequent videogame players is often superior to their non-gaming counterparts. Even driving or flying skills can be improved from playing the right games. But the recent report at the APA convention is the first to suggest that surgical skill could also be improved by playing video games.
The study showed that laparoscopic surgeons who frequently played online video games were up to 27% quicker in their surgical techniques. Additionally, the gaming surgeons also made 37% fewer mistakes during procedures. Overall, gaming surgeons were quicker, more exacting in their technique, and demonstrated greater confidence during tricky surgical procedures.
Researchers theorize that playing MMO’s helps surgeons develop the ability to multitask while holding their concentration upon a specific end goal.
But although the APA report made clear the benefits of online gaming, there is no denying that obsessive gameplaying can also have a downside. For example, online gamers can lose the ability to connect effectively in social situations. Studies also show that frequent gaming tends to weaken the mind’s ability to concentrate on a single task, as opposed to multitasking with many different things going on at once. While this can be a benefit in some situations, it can also be absolutely disastrous for students, for example, who need to read carefully, or study subtle points of the law or history.
With the new research suggesting that surgeons show marked benefits from playing online games, perhaps it is time for game developers to produce a high quality surgery simulator-type game, specifically intended to improve the skills and techniques used in surgical procedures. After all, there are already flight simulators, and other advanced training simulation programs. Why not surgical and medical procedure simulators as well?
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Cool, thanks for the post, really interesting to see that a whole generation of gamers are becoming surgeons and all these hours playing on their computers or consoles wasn’t a waste of time after all. Nice blog, keep the good work.
Comment by Bounty Hunter — September 2, 2008 @ 3:49 pm