Video Gamers- Your Future Surgeons?

With all the scapegoating of the correlation between video game violence and real life violence in the past couple years, even more recently with Grand Theft Auto 4, I thought we needed some good news for you video gamers out there.

Don't stop- you could be a surgeon when you grow up.

According to AJC.com, researchers from the American Psychological Association have concluded that some types of video games can help improve kid's problem solving potential and even improve the skills needed to be laparoscopic surgeons. One of the games they studied was "World of Warcraft" to see if it improved young mind's scientific thinking.

In a study done with 122 fifth, sixth, and seventh graders, kids were told to think out loud while they played video games. What was concluded? The younger kids were more strategical and analytical in their thought processes than the older children.

"The younger kids are focusing more on their planning and problem-solving where are actually playing the game, while adolescents are focusing less on their planning and strategizing more on the here and now," Fran Blumberg, Fordham psychologist, said in an interview. 

Not only will surgeons will be asked "how many surgeries have you performed" but they may also be asked "are you a video gamer?" One of the studies concluded that out 33 laparoscopic surgeons, those who played video games regularly were 27% faster at advance surgical procedures and made 37% fewer errors than those who didn't.

I've been a proud supporter of video games and their educational qualities in more aspects than just science. Most RPG's (Role-Playing Games) feature a butt-load of text to go along with amazing stories that could rival anything on the New York Times Best Sellers. Of course, this facilitates reading and problem-solving. I'm really glad a study like this one featured in the AJC was made because it's time that the public started to see video games in a better light. Video games are good for kids. It's the parent's job to regulate what their child plays- but that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

Since I am sort of biased on the subject, I guess I do have to give some bad news. Children who played video games tended to be more hostile and believed violence to be normal. Also kids are more likely to perform poorer in school and more likely to be obese. 

Eh, who cares?

;)