...surgeons in training who warmed up with Wii games like Marble Mania scored higher on virtual surgeries than those who didn't

That'll be great for the day when I need to have a virtual bypass.

LoopyChew

I just wish someone would roll up all these "Video games are good" news, and sent them to Jack Thompson in a huge encyclopedia, since he's so keen on shoving biased news on our faces.

Ashurahori

It's been known for a while that videogames improve fine motor skills. I can only presume that the Wii is a better tool because it incorporates more of the body (more wrist and arm and less thumb-only movement).

agies

Gets the adrenaline flowing, and sharpens the senses. They could even play Trauma Center! Weeeeeeeiiiiii

xtimrs

Awesome that games keep getting renowned for their teaching/training value.

...and awesome pic.

gaming_otaku

And yes, you REALLY shouldn't let Dr. Mario touch you or this will happen... [vgcats.com].

nya-chama

@The_Foo: I'll clock onto Trauma Centre now, I need to practice removing my own appendix.

It's always good to have a positive gaming story, especially after a week of acrimony and lies.

Degreeless

I know it as "Dr Mario is not a real doctor. Don´t let him touch your genitals." Someone has this as a sig years ago. ^^

SenorKaffee

That picture is amazing. I may have to replicate it myself and post them all over campus as a Public Service Announcement.

TalKeaton

Yes, that is possibly the best post picture of this week...perhaps of any week I've seen so far.

DaiMacculate

That picture is magic.

spni

Playing the ball game Twilight Princess required accurate small gestures, so I can see how this would work. Any over the top tilting would just send the ball off the blocks.

nya-chama

Where does Kotaku find these pictures?!?

SAKY

I went to a conference in the summer, and they had a talk given by Dr. Butch Rosser, Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center and Professor of Surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

His entire talk was about how training with videogames massively increases the dexterity and fine motor control of surgeons in his program.

Videogames can save your life, people. Church!

The_Foo

I think Trauma Center helps me with my fine motor skills... I've often thought that if they the surgeries more realistic in terms of sequencing, it would be an EXCELLENT teaching/training tool, with good anatomy possibilities.

...if only they took all that vague witchcraft/pentagram healing touch business out of the game, I would be able to recommend it to so many other physicians.

As it is, many people get offended at that part...

A PENTAGRAM... what were the designers thinking?

dcartist

Surge-a-wii

teh_joe

I don't think the Wii-mote is really precise enough for something like this. I don't see how they could simulate real surgery with the Wii. I foresee a lot of malpractice suits coming towards doctors who get their degrees through Wii surgery.

Doomstink

@LoopyChew: Well I dunno about you but my virtual has been causing me real problems lately and I think a virtual bypass can't be far away!

quen

meh, I love the Wii, I don't have one personally but I play my friends often enough to even justify buying a game or two to play on it... anyway, point is they're just glorifying the Wii. Pretty soon it will descend from heaven on a wave of golden light.

For instance, I'm sure if a test was done on "making ships in a bottle, does it make you a better surgeon?" The Answer would be yes.

Flawless101

Love the picture... makes you wonder how much of a fraud Mario really is when he's not just platforming. He almost always finishes last or near last in the Mario Kart games.

@nya-chama: Yeah, no kidding... roll goal required extremely steady hands.

Mezodon

Sounds cool.

I just hope that when the time comes, surgeons aren't focused on getting a high score.

Hiltz

I just spent a month shadowing surgical residents at a hospital (I'm pre-med) and I can tell you right now that almost all of the surgeons there, especially the younger ones or the ones with kids, play some kind of video games. Several of them had 360s and the others had PS2s or Wiis. They did a lot of laparoscopic procedures (where you use very small incisions to insert a camera and small mechanicals arms into the body cavity) and I can definitely see how warming up with a game, or even just honing your fine motor skills in general could help with something like that.

Touy

Awesome. I know my kid bro wants to be a doctor and loves playing Trauma Center. I just hope that he remembers that the pentagram is just a game.

ミスターX

"Time crisis makes better police"

Spolodaface

Stories like this remind of Tetris back in the day. My folks were totally against videogames until they saw some news article saying Tetris could help with math or something. Best day of my life.

Also, Ive played guitar for 13 years or so and am a so so player. Now I know that Guitar Hero will not teach you how to play, but after a good run through some tough songs I always find I can jam a bit better.

mizzle

I wanna see surgeons doing time trials with their operations.

Spolodaface

Amazing picture.

And uh, amazing article.

swirldude

And another thing, where do you guys find these pictures?

KM91

I knew that it could improve motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

KM91

Next the doctor will scream "highscore" when they "play" with your innards.

Irenicus-the one and only

Wouldn't surgeons start accidentally aiming below where they want to really aim?

dowingba

@Hiltz: Ohh...he died...*Nurse comes over and yells "GAME OVER" ---- "HIGH SCORE"*
Well, if the PS3 is curing cancer, the Wii is doing its job also ;) I also think Trauma Center for the Wii or DS are good games, that a doctor should have, and their high scores somewhere in their profile =P

Hades

See, when surgeons play video games they save lives. Lives of the poor hookers nearly kicked to death by all those "other" video game players on the planet.

sandwiches

@LoopyChew:

Would you rather they began testing the Wiimote's usefulness on real surgeries before virtual ones? No they tested it on the virtual surgeries first and soon enough once they can get a REAL PATIENT'S CONSENT I'm sure they'll try it during real surgery.

Until then keep your stupidity to yourself, I'm afraid it might be contagious.

NeoAkira

IMMA CHANGIN' MA NAME TO DOCTOR STYLES

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

@dcartist:

You need to look past the hypocritical Christian ideology [since they are the ones to link it to "hell and debil", and research where the "pentagram" came from.

EnigmaNemesis

@Lajcik: Is it even a pentagram if it isn't surrounded by a circle? The star you draw in Trauma Center is just a five pointed star, not unlike a star you collect in Mario.

dowingba

@dcartist: You might want to read a bit about the pentagram thingamabob before you get offended again: [en.wikipedia.org]

Quote "The pentagram was used as a Christian symbol for the five senses, and if the letters S, A, L, V, and S are inscribed in the points, it can be taken as a symbol of health (from Latin salus)"

"The Pythagoreans called the pentagram ύγιεια Hygieia ("health"; also the Greek goddess of health, Hygieia)"

So in fact the pentagram is quite a good choice there and not necessarily evil *satanic stare*

Lajcik

Well I will pass on the surgeon that trained with a Wii-mote, since the pointer isn't that finely accurate!

:-p

EnigmaNemesis

I think that photo justifies a "Hot Tears of Shame" tag.

BTownDesignGuy

Didn't a very similar story come out about surgeons and gaming in general years ago?

Yup, it did: on 19.12.04
[www.wired.com]

FunkyJ

As long as I can get sarcastic remarks while trying to perform livesaving surgery I'm all for it.

We need an official House game.

Sabre_Justice

@Doomstink: Probably because they're not simulating real surgery on the Wii, and just using it as a tool to practice fine motor skills and movements. Seeing as how surgery requires both of these, any practice is extremely welcome.

Denzal

Not to mention, lookit all 50 of those 5 pointed stars on the American flag!!! (and stars on other flags too)

Evil Tortie's Mom

@The_Foo: Yeah, I was going to mention that Beth Israel study. There were a couple of doctors involved in the original study and I think they were specifically looking at arthroscopic surgeries, weren't they? I used the study as part of my research on a paper about video games and their affect on players.

Eltigro

ahah, that image just made me laugh. xD

zerojad