Are gamers better laparoscopic surgeons? Impact of gaming skills on laparoscopic performance in “Generation Y” students

Abstract

Background Both laparoscopic surgery and computer games make similar demands on eye-hand coordination and visuospatial cognitive ability. A possible connection between both areas could be used for the recruitment and training of future surgery residents. Aim The goal of this study was to investigate whether gaming skills are associated with better laparoscopic performance in medical students. Methods 135 medical students (55 males, 80 females) participated in an experimental study. Students completed three laparoscopic tasks (rope pass, paper cut, and peg transfer) and played two custom-designed video games (2D and 3D game) that had been previously validated in a group of casual and professional gamers. Results There was a small significant correlation between performance on the rope pass task and the 3D game, Kendall’s τ(111) = -.151, P = .019. There was also a small significant correlation between the paper cut task and points in the 2D game, Kendall’s τ(102) = -.180, P = .008. Overall laparoscopic performance was also significantly correlated with both the 3D game, Kendall’s τ(112) = -.134, P = .036, and points in the 2D game, Kendall’s τ(113) = -.163, P = .011. However, there was no significant correlation between the peg transfer task and both games (2D and 3D game), P = n.s. Conclusion This study provides further evidence that gaming skills may be an advantage when learning laparoscopic surgery.