Many people think that online multiplayer video games, such as World of Warcraft, are simply a waste of time, and can dull the senses and social skills of frequent players. But according to the Boston Herald, a presentation at an American Psychological Association convention this week presented the point of view that so-called massive multiplayer online games (or MMO’s) can actually sharpen the wits of players.
The American Psychological Association (APA) report looked at surgeons who were frequent MMO players. The conclusions of the report determined that playing games like World of Warcraft could improve not only the brainpower of doctors, but also the technical skills involved with making incisions during surgery.
Of course, many studies in the past had determined that there are benefits to playing video games. For example, researchers have discovered that the hand-eye coordination of frequent videogame players is often superior to their non-gaming counterparts. Even driving or flying skills can be improved from playing the right games. But the recent report at the APA convention is the first to suggest that surgical skill could also be improved by playing video games.
The study showed that laparoscopic surgeons who frequently played online video games were up to 27% quicker in their surgical techniques. Additionally, the gaming surgeons also made 37% fewer mistakes during [...]
