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Surgeons 'are better after playing Nintendo Wii'

telegraph.co.uk — Trainee surgeons will soon be practicing operations from the comfort of their sofas after a study found they performed better after playing games on the Nintendo Wii. US researchers are designing software that will allow doctors to carry out simulated surgery using the console's novel control system.

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  • allaboutdatiki, on 01/18/2008, -1/+53They said the same thing about playing "Operation" back in the day ... BBBBZZZZZTTTT!!!
    • eternal464, on 01/18/2008, -2/+2well they mentioned games other than trauma center. That game is perfectly realistic, down to every last stitch.
      • BubbaBubberson, on 01/18/2008, -0/+6magic green goo applied directly to a beating heart FTW
        • Firehed, on 01/18/2008, -0/+5It's more about the steady hand thing.
      • mywhitenoise, on 01/18/2008, -1/+2Are you a surgeon? Have you ever operated on a real person?
        • Charlotte_Web, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1I'm not a surgeon, but I've played one on the Wii.
      • lotticasio, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Let me operate on you then.
      • gs68, on 01/20/2008, -0/+0Yeah, surguries take 5 minutes to complete and you suture up wounds by drawing zigzag lines. That's VERY realistic.
    • Wargalas, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3Butter fingers!
    • Gryffydd, on 01/18/2008, -1/+2Now they just need to make Operation for the Wii!
      • mywhitenoise, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2If it's half as good as Jenga, I'll take two!
    • nicko68, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3"Ok nurse, I'm just going to start off by removing the Charlie horse here..."
      "Excuse me?"
      BZZZZ
      "Dammit! I touched the side of the incision'
  • iraq, on 01/18/2008, -4/+6Makes sense that it would help with precision and to help calm the nerves. Only thing is, if they screw up in real life-- they can't reset the damned thing. In that case, isn't it good to have surgeons a bit more on edge than not?
    • emjaymj, on 01/18/2008, -0/+8I am pretty sure that (for sane people anyways) practicing on the Wii doesn't diminish the idea that screwing up is not an option in real life.
  • Waskonator, on 01/18/2008, -3/+75No, its true! I play Katamari a couple hours each day and then I roll around my apartment covered in reversed duct tape until God talks to me.
    I'm getting pretty good.
    • eternal464, on 01/18/2008, -3/+4win
    • darny, on 01/18/2008, -6/+4katamari ain't out for wii
    • Spoomeister, on 01/18/2008, -1/+8That's not God, that's me, your downstairs neighbor. The rolling is driving me ***** *****.
      Cut that ***** out, or I will go play Legend of Zelda for a few hours each day and then see what it inspires me to do to you.
    • jrignaci, on 01/18/2008, -0/+0that's a win right there...going to Japan and playing Red Steel, anyone? XD
  • xenovis, on 01/18/2008, -22/+1Keep practicing!
    http://tinyurl.com/2uj3dg
  • estvir, on 01/18/2008, -1/+6There was a story last year which made the frontpage about games in general being good for surgeons. It was on Ars Technica I believe.
    • Hedegaard, on 01/18/2008, -1/+2Yups remember that one too - It all comes down to keep practicing your fine motor control (not sure that term applies here but you'll get the drift ;)) ...
    • mattwalton56, on 01/18/2008, -2/+2Damn....I could be a Surgeon General....
      • Firehed, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1Writing out warnings to stick on packs of cigarettes isn't the hardest job in the world, y'know.
    • Uranium118, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2By playing video games, you improve your eye-hand coordination.
    • sinurgy, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2You're obviously mistaken cause the Wii is the only one that builds hand eye coordination. It's not a novelty, it's a revolution!
      • Hedegaard, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1ever heard about the mouse ? Invented by Xerox back in the day ... you use it to navigate the cursor on your screen --- it's pretty cool....
  • theholotrope, on 01/18/2008, -3/+33Doc: Alright son, we are going to perform a simple proce...
    Patient: Have you played Wii?
    Doc: Uuhhh, like I was saying... We will be doing this in a....
    Patient: SHUuushhhh! Have you played Super Mario Galaxy dammit!!!
  • suzywang3000, on 01/18/2008, -13/+0Japanese make very good electronic and car because very smart and very small hand!
    • Ender008, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3Uh...?
    • Miche1987, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2I have no idea why, but I lol'd.
    • NeonFire, on 01/19/2008, -0/+2I think you've won the reward for the most random comment ever on Digg.
  • Itazura, on 01/18/2008, -2/+12"The researchers asked eight surgical residents to play games on a Wii for an hour before their performed virtual surgery using a training tool called ProMIS, which simulates a patient's body in 3D and tracks the surgeon's movements as they operate."

    8 Surgeons, all from the same residency. I would not bet my life on a Wii because one day 8 surgeons did better on a virtual surgery after playing an hour of Wii games. That is probably the least scientific study ever published.
    • Gabberwok, on 01/18/2008, -2/+2Welcome to clinical "research". Trust me, there are much less scientific studies out there.
    • ulmedas, on 01/18/2008, -1/+3Actually, it really help to get preliminary results in an effort to obtain funding for a proper study. That ***** isn't usually free.
  • Zippo, on 01/18/2008, -1/+68Well, so long as the surgeons realize I don't have any extra lives.
    • Moshcrates, on 01/18/2008, -5/+3A wonderful, and nerdy reference.
      Top comment of the day!
    • jonshipman, on 01/18/2008, -0/+20And no that's not a coin slot
    • Waskonator, on 01/18/2008, -1/+3Just pray the Konami code. You'll be fine...
  • leetleo, on 01/18/2008, -0/+20Dr.Stiles unavailable for comment.
    • BubbaBubberson, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3OK. . Let's begin the operation!!!!!!!!
      • Protoss, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1*Does really cliche "go get'em" pose*
    • gs68, on 01/20/2008, -0/+0*stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* HAY GUYS AM I DOING IT RITE
  • cerealjynx, on 01/18/2008, -0/+20This just in: Practice makes perfect.
  • Brian48216, on 01/18/2008, -1/+8US researchers are designing software that will allow doctors to carry out simulated surgery using the console's novel control system.

    I think Japan already beat them with Trauma center...
  • nintapple, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2do we really need a resplurge of every Engadget article?
  • Moshcrates, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1I think this is a great application of video games. The game industry has been seeping more and more into educational systems and training programs. Military simulations, high school learning programs (Number Munchers!), and apparently surgeon training.
    I think its a great step forward and I only see benefits coming from this. After all, video games, especially some Wii-derived applications, require extremely precision hand-eye coordination.
  • ParanoidDizzy, on 01/18/2008, -5/+5"Sir, we need to perform surgery soon. The patient may die if we don't act know."

    "Hold on, I an on the last level of Super Mario Galaxy."
  • jjremy, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2"US researchers are designing software that will allow doctors to carry out simulated surgery using the console's novel control system."
    ?? the Japanese have already done just that! http://www.gametab.com/images/ss/wii/6087/box-l.jp ...
  • braves01, on 01/18/2008, -1/+20Trauma Center: Med School Edition
  • joshuagor44, on 01/18/2008, -12/+3Looks like it can do just about anything other than provide a decent gaming experience.
    • xposiactionx, on 01/18/2008, -1/+4fail.
    • R3Dirkulous, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1good one...how long did it take you to think that one up
    • EtherGnat, on 01/18/2008, -1/+2Millions disagree. Just how big is your ego to make you think your opinion outweighs theirs?
  • altovolta, on 01/18/2008, -2/+1What about "Game Over"?
  • boozinf, on 01/18/2008, -1/+3"Games are thus the most ancient and time-honored vehicle for education. They are the original educational technology, the natural one, having received the seal of approval of natural selection. We don’t see mother lions lecturing cubs at the chalkboard; we don’t see senior lions writing their memoirs for posterity. In light of this, the question, "Can games have educational value?" becomes absurd. It is not games but schools that are the newfangled notion, the untested fad, the violator of tradition. Game-playing is a vital educational function for any creature capable of learning."

    Chris Crawford, "Chris Crawford on Game Design"
  • spookycheddar, on 01/18/2008, -1/+11next theyll be saying playing guitar hero makes you a good musician.
    • mywhitenoise, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2well I could see how Rock Band could make you a better drummer, in terms of keeping rhythm, it wont do much for coordination.
  • Gabberwok, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3Finally! An excuse to blow off histology to play Super Mario Galaxy...
  • missingnoh4x, on 01/18/2008, -1/+9"US researchers are designing software that will allow doctors to carry out simulated surgery using the console's novel control system."
    Don't we already have Trauma Center.
    • Protoss, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1We do, but this will be created in the US!
      That means less anime...
  • incabulos, on 01/18/2008, -1/+2This is an old concept that has been seen well before the Wii.

    http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-04-07-surge ...
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/07022 ...

    Cheers
    • SLockhart, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2How could the concept of using a Wii to fine tune your surgical skills be any older than the Wii itself.
  • SLockhart, on 01/18/2008, -2/+22In other news

    Gangsters use GTA3 to fine tune their ho slappin' skills.
  • CountryTime, on 01/18/2008, -1/+3i doubt the wii makes them better surgeons. it all stems from the fact that they can improve their hand-eye coordination. they could do the same thing dribbling a basketball.
    • EtherGnat, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2Probably, but the Wii does have potential to train motor skills that are more similar to the real thing than most activities.
  • mogebier, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1I hope my Doc didn't get all his XP using a chainsaw in a FPS.
  • ulmedas, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3We are researching similar efforts in our lab. Basically, it is logical to repeat the motions over and over again without horrible consequences when the first attempt hits a snag (or an artery,) and cadavers are an expensive practice subject.
    I think a great many folks are working on similar efforts, but with more specific applications that simply playing games produced for the general population. Of course, a lot of research needs to be done to determine if anything like this is truly effective. But, if effective, it provides medical students a low cost easily portable quasi-practice device.
    • darkgreystar, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1I would probably ***** my pants if I saw a Wii on my required materials list.
      • ulmedas, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1more likely, it will be something like a wiiRemote and some specific software. The wii itself is superfluous, as med students are all required to have computers anyway, unless nintendo starts encrypting the bluetooth signal. Though, even that would still look a tad silly to most new students.
  • SandyCro, on 01/18/2008, -3/+1I'm buying this for my bf. I know he was telling me about it but i guess it's legit haha, thats so awesome. Go Nintendo!
  • Gaulven, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2So they're better at *virtual* surgery on the Wii after warming up with other Wii games first.

    Perhaps, for an hour before real surgery, surgeons should make a ship in a bottle or something like that. I wonder if that would have some beneficial effect.
  • ErrorBorn, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3Next they're going to say that pilots are better at flying by playing Ace Combat 5.
  • thatmb, on 01/18/2008, -0/+0The Wii is good and all, but Nintendo DS is where it's at for virtual surgery. The use of a stylus is way more familiar to that of a scalpel. To add, Nintendo has had 3-4 virtual surgery games released over the last two years already. To add even MORE, it's been known for years that there's a definite correlation between doctors who played video games and enhanced eye hand coordination. This isn't as much news and it is just amusing common knowledge.
  • RyeBrye, on 01/18/2008, -0/+4"Damnit, nurse, get out of the way of the sensor bar!"
  • misterFR33ZE, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1This isn't a new discovery. Didn't you guys see it on the news before, but with other videogames? Oh wait, you guys stay on digg all day....nevermind.
  • fani, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Who comes up with this kind of moronic studies ? Just take a stick and fling it around till your arm hurts and your wrist starts developing carpal tunnel. Thats what the Wii controller effect is after all.
  • samury, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1This is nothing new. Surgeons have been known to play games and other activities that improve hand-eye coordination.
  • Archer007, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1*insert done-to-death 'Wii' joke here*
  • kidwithsword, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1This is obviously Nintendo's response to the PS3 being able to sim imagery for medical researchers. I do like Nintendo's approach, though...
  • enri, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2As long as they don't try the Healing Touch while actually in surgery I think we're good.
  • skewetoo, on 01/18/2008, -0/+0You guys are totally blind to marketing.
  • foxfollower, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1This actually makes perfect sense but it's certainly creepy.
  • Rileyper, on 01/19/2008, -0/+2Dr. Mario to the E.R. Stat
  • Oogler, on 01/21/2008, -0/+1Ya whatever.
  • MrColdheart, on 01/24/2008, -0/+1why do ppl keep resubmitting this story?

    Im gonna wait a year and resubmit a bunch of old ass stories just like these ass clowns
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