J. Lam1, C. Maeda1, T. Suzuki1, T. Pham1, D. Bernstein1, B. Sandler1, G. Jacobsen1, S. Horgan1 1University Of California – San Diego,Minimally Invasive Surgery,San Diego, CA, USA
Introduction: Video games are ingrained into popular culture. They have been a strong presence for several decades and are a staple of modern day society. It has been established that having skill in video gaming correlates with improved skill in laparoscopic surgery. However, there has not been much data collected on the types of video game genres that are played, and if there is a belief that video games improve your ability to perform technical procedures. We hypothesize there may be a difference between surgical vs nonsurgical specialties regarding the type of video games that are played, as well as the amount of time dedicated to gaming. Our secondary aim is to assess if having a history of gaming effects perceived ability to perform technical procedures.
Methods: A questionnaire was provided to surgical (n=45) and non-surgical residents and fellows (n=50), to assess video gaming experiences. Analysis of demographic data, past and current gaming experience, and preference of genre was performed. Statistical analysis comparing surgical and non-surgical groups was performed using Chi-square test.
Results: There were no significant demographic differences between the surgical and nonsurgical groups. Both groups had similar distribution in age, gender, and post-graduate year (PGY). The top three genres of video games played in the surgery group were roleplaying games (21%), shooter games (17%), and strategy games (12%). The top three genres in the non-surgical group were shooter games (19%), role-playing games, (18%), and fighting games (13%). There was no statistical difference in the genres of video games played by the two groups. In comparing the surgical and nonsurgical groups, there was a statistical difference in the belief that video gaming improved your technical ability (p-value = 0.036). Also, the average maximal amount of hours played per week was higher in those who believed that video games improved their technical ability (median 20 hrs/week).
Conclusion: Surgical and non-surgical residents have similar patterns of video game play and types of video games that are played. However, surgical residents feel that their video gaming experiences improve their technical abilities. Also, increased gaming history correlated with perceived improvement of technical skills in performing procedures in both groups.
