Nintendio Wii Based Surgical Training Software [Wii Surgeon Training in the Developing World]

With all the astonishingly blinkered and wholly sensationalised reports appearing almost weekly in certain elements of the press concerning how computer gaming is ultimately responsible for just about every ailment in today’s society (from general anti-social behaviour to spates of mass murder) its reassuring to know that soon you could go under the knife of a surgeon who’s at least in part honed their skills using Nintendo’s Wii console.

Following on from a study by the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, which apparently proved that surgical residents performed better during simulated surgery subsequent to playing on the Wii – specifically thanks to using the Nintendo Wii’s Wiimote controller – they are now reportedly working on developing a new Wii-based software package that will serve as a relatively low cost training solution for trainee surgeons in developing countries.

According to the New Scientist, the study that served as the foundation for the new software training package currently being developed, showed that those that had ‘warmed-up’ using the Nintendo Wii ’scored 48 per cent higher on tool control and performance (in subsequent simulated surgery) than those without the Wii warm-up’.

So, next time you go in for an op be sure to ask whether your surgeon has a Nintendo Wii. If the answer’s yes, breathe easy. If the answer’s no it’s reassuring to know that there’s a 52% greater chance, based on the above figures, that you could go in for a vasectomy and come out a eunuch (gulp).