Hope in my house today

The newspaper has a reputation for bringing bad news. Really, how often do you open it up and read something that makes you happy? I read an article today that not only made me happy, but it brought me hope. This is the kind of hope that makes a mother know all of her efforts are worthwhile.

Video game players make better surgeons, study says

By Denise Gellene, Times Staff Writer
1:33 PM PST, February 19, 2007

Worried that kids spend too much time playing video games? Take heart, they may become great surgeons.

New research today found that surgeons with the highest scores on "Super Monkey Ball 2," "Stars Wars Racer Revenge" and "Silent Scope" performed best on tests of suturing and laparoscopic surgery.

Doctors who had played video games at least three hours a week sometime in their past worked 27% faster and made 37% fewer errors on the surgical tasks compared to those who had never picked up a game controller, according to the study.

"For as little as three hours a week, you could help your children become the cyber-surgeons of the 21st century," said Dr. James C. Rosser Jr. of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and lead author of the study in the Archives of Surgery.

The research looked at 33 surgeons attending a course on laparoscopic surgery and found that t heir game-playing skill was a better predictor of success on the surgical tests than years of medical practice or number of surgeries performed.

Expertise with "Super Monkey Ball 2," which involves steering a ball containing a monkey down a serpentine track while simultaneously targeting bananas, was most closely linked with high test scores.

Dr. Myriam J. Curet, a Stanford University surgeon who wrote an accom panying critique, cautioned against uncontrolled gaming, which has also been linked with aggressive behavior and bad grades.

The study agreed, saying "indiscriminate video gam e play is not a panacea."

Properly channeled, game playing can foster the hand-eye coordination and fine-motor skills needed by laparoscopic surgeons, who rely on television monitors to guide them during surgery, said Rosser, who plays video games five to six hours a week.

"Where did you go to school? Did you pass your boards? Patients may also ask their doctors, 'Are you a 'Super Monkey Ball player?'."


Until today, I worried about my son. Carpal tunnel. A lifetime goal as a video game creator. Instead, I was able to dreamily imagine all sorts of possibilities. A doctor is only one thought. How about a fighter pilot?

When this news was shared with Trevor, he was non-committal. "But I don't think I want to be a dr.," followed quickly by, "Mom, I told you PS2 was educational!" Yep. Just keep thinking that, kiddo.