Skip to main content

Surgeons that play video games have better results

rosserIn order to prepare for complex medical procedures, surgeons in a Florida hospital have taken to playing video games as a warm-up prior to surgery. In a recent study conducted at the hospital, physicians that played video games for six minutes prior to attempting a virtual surgery actually improved their patient outcome results, according to the Orlando Sentinel (and reposted by Game Politics). Take that, Senator Rockefeller.

At the Florida Hospital Celebration Health in Kissimmee, Florida, general surgeon Dr. James “Butch” Rosser conducted an experiment with 300 surgeons. Prior to performing a simulated laparoscopic surgery, half of the doctors played a variety of video games, including Super Monkey Ball 2 on the Nintendo Wii and the original Super Monkey Ball on the GameCube, for six minutes while the other 150 doctors did not. Those that played the video games scored higher on the surgery simulator, resulting in better results for the virtual patients.

“Surgeons who had played video games in the past for more than three hours per week made 37-percent fewer errors, were 27-percent faster and scored 26-percent better overall than surgeons who never played video games,” the study found. “It is the error reduction that will have the most significant impact on patient safety.”

Rosser, who compares the act of surgeon playing a video game before surgery to an athlete warming up before a game, first published a report on the benefits of video games for physicians in 2003. He has preached the virtues of gaming ever since. As a result of the study, the surgeon’s lounge in the Florida hospital now features a gaming lounge, where up to four doctors can play/prepare.

Although it has become a pastime for many politicians to attack violent video games and claim there is a connection between them and violent behavior, there is still no proven correlation between the two. In fact, the opposite may actually be true, and violent games could reduce violent tendencies. Regardless, Rosser and people like him are proving that while the downside of gaming is still unproven, the upside is very real.

Editors' Recommendations

Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
Best video game deals for May 2023: PlayStation, Xbox, Switch

No matter your console of choice, we've got a lot of gaming deals for you. While the attention is now on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, there are still some highly anticipated titles in the pipeline for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, in addition to the Nintendo Switch. For those who have already upgraded to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, you should take advantage of video game deals to build your collection, while those on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch should be on the lookout for offers that will tap into their established libraries. We've rounded up some of the best bargains across the different consoles right here -- hurry and avail them as we're not sure when the discounts will end.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo Switch) -- $60, was $70

Read more
The best Nintendo Switch games for 2023
Pikmin in Pikmin 3 Deluxe.

The Nintendo Switch has had a lot of success in the nearly six years since its release. The console-handheld hybrid has been on the market since 2017, and a slew of fantastic games from first- and third-party developers launched over the course of the system's life cycle. Recently, heavy hitters such as Metroid Dread, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land have boosted the system's appeal, while a healthy list of upcoming games continues to drum up excitement.

There are plenty of incredible games to enjoy on the Switch right now. But which ones should you check out? These are the best Nintendo Switch games (including free-to-play titles) for 2023.
Action

Read more
The best Xbox Series X games for 2023
Two Spartans side by side in Halo Infinite.

After an uneven console cycle with the Xbox One, Microsoft's latest consoles are aimed at getting the ship back on course. The Xbox Series X is a next-generation powerhouse that rivals gaming PCs, while the Xbox Series S is an affordable stopgap for those who are curious about trying new games.

There's no shortage of games to play on either console thanks to Xbox Game Pass, which gives players immediate access to a library of titles old and new. That built-in catalog is an extra value on top of all the new games available on the system that take advantage of its impressive technical specs. When it comes to first-party exclusives, the Series X is still growing. Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 gave a good boost to the console's library following a somewhat sparse first year. More games are also on the way. Microsoft's Bethesda acquisition will bring exclusives like Starfield and the potential addition of all Activision Blizzard games would further bolster that list, but the console's real strength lies in third-party support.

Read more