Remember the game Operation? The battery-operated board game from 1965, with the cheesy cartoon guy on the board and the random objects that you needed to extract with a tweezers. The winner of the game was obviously not a master surgeon, but studies are finding that video gamers of today to be equal to surgeons in operating robotic surgery tools in laparoscopic surgery.
The overall attitude towards video gaming has changed a lot in the last twenty years. Video gaming has been evolving from solely entertainment to having practical uses in society – especially in the medical field.
A new study from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) sought to identify the developmental effect video games have on training of future surgeons.
They reported that,
“[They have] proven the superior hand-eye coordination skills honed from hours of joystick-based gaming are the same talents required to master the world's most advanced robotic surgery tools.”
The study concluded that the surgical skills of the high school and college students who played video games an average of at least two hours a day were found to be equal to the UTMB physicians. In some cases they even exceeded the skills of the residents.
Also in an article reported by the Alternative Press, Dr. James "Butch" Rosser stated that,
"I use the same hand-eye coordination to play video games as I use for surgery."
It is clear that skills from video gaming is finding its place in the medical field. One day we may find out that top gamers will be the best candidates to perform surgery on people as a result of the Digital Revolution.
Below is a video showing a visual example of a robotic surgical system.