February 20, 2007

Video Game Playing Surgeons Are Better

by Scott Rettberg · , 4:29 am

The Guardian reports that a study of surgeons at New York’s Beth Israel hospital who spent at least three hours a week playing video games performed 42% better at keyhole, or laparoscopic, surgery than doctors who had not. But what games were they playing?

4 Responses to “Video Game Playing Surgeons Are Better”


  1. Gilbert Bernstein Says:
    February 20th, 2007 at 4:51 am

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_Center:_Under_the_Knife

    Of course.

  2. nick Says:
    February 21st, 2007 at 5:03 pm

    But does surgey help them level up faster?

  3. Jill Says:
    February 22nd, 2007 at 6:31 am

    According to this PDF of a slideshow about the research, the keyhole surgery uses a training thingy called “Top Gun”. As I understood it, they’re comparing videogaming to a computer-based SIMULATION of laparoscopic surgery, seeing whether videogaming gives surgeons BETTER SCORES at “Top Gun”.

    The PDF says:

    Initially, it is somewhat surprising that laparoscopic
    experience is not more highly correlated with Top Gun
    scores and that video games are a better predictor of intra-
    corporeal suturing ability

    So looks as though surgery doesn’t help gaming as much as gaming helps – well, simulation of surgery?

  4. Jill Says:
    February 22nd, 2007 at 6:31 am

    Oops, forgot the link: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.psychology.iastate.edu%2FFACULTY%2Fdgentile%2FMMVRC_Jan_20_MediaVersion.pdf&ei=9W7dRaOeJoyE0gSLzuWUBw&usg=__TMk-bjjeLX0oZfMKhkobmsW9x7I=&sig2=bxSxmHaAWWvK3QXbWBxM6g

    or for simplicity, just search google for video games laparoscopic and it’s the first hit.

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