title: Impact of video game genre on surgical skills development: a feasibility study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The playing of video games (VGs) was previously shown to improve surgical skills. This is the first randomized, controlled study to assess the impact of VG genre on the development of basic surgical skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty first-year, surgically inexperienced medical students attended a practical course on surgical knots, suturing, and skin-flap technique. Later, they were randomized into four groups: control and/or nongaming (ContG), first-person-shooter game (ShotG), racing game (RaceG), and surgery game (SurgG). All participants had 3 wk of Nintendo Wii training. Surgical and VG performances were assessed by two independent, blinded surgeons who evaluated basal performance (time 0) and performance after 1 wk (time 1) and 3 wk (time 2) of training.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The training time of RaceG was longer than that of ShotG and SurgG (P = 0.045). Compared to SurgG and RaceG, VG scores for ShotG improved less between times 0 and 1 (P = 0.010) but more between times 1 and 2 (P = 0.004). Improvement in mean surgical performance scores versus time differed in each VG group (P = 0.011). At time 2, surgical performance scores were significantly higher in ShotG (P = 0.002) and SurgG (P = 0.022) than in ContG. The surgical performance scores of RaceG were not significantly different from the score achieved by ContG (P = 0.279).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Different VG genres may differentially impact the development of surgical skills by medical students. More complex games seem to improve performance even if played less. Although further studies are needed, surgery-related VGs with sufficient complexity and playability could be a feasible adjuvant to improving surgical skills.
authors: School of Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Electronic address: thiagoa@ufcspa.edu.br.
authors: Thiago Bozzi
authors: TB
authors: de Araujo
authors: School of Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Filipe Rodrigues
authors: FR
authors: Silveira
authors: School of Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Dante Lucas Santos
authors: DL
authors: Souza
authors: School of Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Yuri Thomé Machado
authors: YT
authors: Strey
authors: School of Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Department of Information and Education in Health, Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórida de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Cecilia Dias
authors: CD
authors: Flores
authors: School of Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Department of Surgery, Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórida de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórida de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Ronaldo Scholze
authors: RS
authors: Webster
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000193:education*; D018910:Video Games; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Basic surgery skills; Medical education; Surgery; Video game