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Written by Dr. Stephen Kaladeen
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Dr. Steve makes a game attempt
(from the May-June 2007 issue)
Like many of you out there, I am a parent, and over the past several years, I have noticed a phenomenon. Rather than spending time with his friends playing hockey or basketball, my teenage son has become entranced with something called ‘gaming’. His favorite game is called Gears of War, which he plays on his Microsoft Xbox 360, but he also likes Call of Duty and Halo. So popular are these games that schools now sponsor tournaments to support charities.
The machines that run these games—Xbox and Sony PlayStation—are powerful computers that often have wireless capability and allow players to engage in team play over the Internet. Gaming has become so popular that it is now a multibillion dollar industry that rivals the movie industry. The lines between media industries has been blurred, with games like Doom spawning movies and Grand Theft Auto being turned into a popular soft drink ad.
Wii will overcome
Most middle-aged adults who initially try these games find them rather difficult. There are a number of reasons why. A player has to learn both the game’s rules and how to use the controller—the simple joystick is no more. Both of these things require time and patience—both of which are in short supply for a middle-aged and rather busy doctor.
I was pleasantly surprised when my son insisted that I try Wii, a new game system developed by Nintendo. Launched with much fanfare less than a year ago, the game system was designed not just for adolescent boys, but rather for just about anyone. Nintendo realized that with industry heavyweights Microsoft and Sony dominating the conventional market, they needed an approach that encouraged adults who would not normally use these entertainment systems.
The Wii game system begins with a console that is a bit smaller than regular consoles. It stands upright and accepts optical discs designed specifically for it. The console also connects automatically to the Internet via a wireless server or two USB ports. Perhaps the most innovative feature of Wii is the handheld wireless game controller. Unlike other game controllers, this one is quite small and feels very much like the handle of a golf club or tennis racket. It can be used equally well with either hand, and despite its diminutive size, it is extremely sophisticated.
The controller employs a number of tiny accelerometers that can sense both translational and rotational movement in three-dimensional space, which it relays to an LED bar mounted on your television to provide an extraordinarily realistic feel to games. The controller also provides vibrational feedback and sound through a tiny speaker. Thus, you can swing the controller like a golf club and actually ‘play’ golf. The system comes with a variety of games including golf, tennis, bowling, baseball, and boxing.
Nintendo and other companies are developing a number of attachments for the remote; however, the company provides one called a ‘Nunchuk’. A smaller controller that plugs in via a metre-long chord, the Nunchuk allows a player to use both hands for sports like boxing.
Medical justification
With upward of half of the North American population playing video games it is not surprising that researchers are now studying the effects they are having on the population. This research has yielded some very surprising results. Some research actually suggests that video game playing might help people.
John Beck, a California sociologist, recently published the book Got Game: How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Business Forever. Beck interviewed about 2,500 young professionals and found that gamers were generally more optimistic, creative, and socially active. His theory is that gamers tend to take risks and look at things strategically.
Another study, done in 2004 at the Beth Israel Medical Center, found that surgeons playing over three hours of video games per week actually had 37% fewer mistakes when performing laparoscopic surgery than their non-gaming counterparts. The game playing surgeons were also able to perform the surgery 27% faster. The lead researcher, surgeon James Rosser, is now developing a program called Top Gun where by surgeons actually warm up by playing a video game before entering the OR. The games are felt to improve their coordination, agility, and visual spatial skills.
Who every thought that playing ‘Super Monkey Ball’ might actually help reduce surgical complication rates?
Final thoughts
Wii takes game playing to a significantly different level. By providing a more realistic and interactive experience, the system allows the player to be swept up into a game. This experience can be so life-like you can even injure yourself or another player by accidentally letting go of the remote controller while making a vigorous swing at a tennis ball or baseball. The manufacturers recommend that you use the game in an area where there is lots of space and there is a strap that goes around the wrist so that if you do let go you won’t accidentally fling the controller and hit someone.
Retailing for about $300, Wii represents a vast improvement in conventional gaming, particularly for those of us who only want to play once in a while, like on a rainy day. The games are imaginative and have more of an adult feel. This is one game system that I would recommend largely because just about anyone can use it and enjoy it. The Wii actually brings you one step closer to the idea of virtual reality and is worth a try. It makes you think, what’s next? Wii surgery for beginners?
Some games available for Wii (retailing for about $60):
TNMT / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Cooking Mama
Red Seal
Trauma Centre
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
The Godfather; Black Hand Edition
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