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

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.