In laparoscopic procedures, surgeons use small incisions and work with tiny video cameras and thin surgical tools. Even after taking into account differences in age, years of medical training and the number of past laparoscopic surgeries performed the study found that surgeons who played video games were 27 per cent faster and made 37 per cent fewer errors than those who didn't.

So the first question you might ask your surgeon is how many of these (surgeries) have you done, and the second question is, ‘Are you a gamer?’”

Participants played both a violent shooter and a non-violent golf game on separate occasions for 10 minutes and then placed one of their hands in ice-cold water to test their reaction to pain. On average, participants were able to keep their hands in the ice water for 65 per cent longer after playing the violent game.

A study published in 2007 by Iowa State University psychologist Douglas Gentile and Dr. James Rosser, head of minimally invasive surgery at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, compared laparoscopic surgeons who play video games with those who do not.

The next time somebody yanks your TV power cord out of the wall to save your eyes from being slowly sautéed, be sure to mention to them that it’s actually been shown video games can improve eyesight.

The Keele team suggests the increased pain tolerance and heart rate can be attributed to the body’s natural ‘fight or flight’ response to stress which can inhibit the body's sensitivity to pain.

Participants played both a violent shooter and a non-violent golf game on separate occasions for 10 minutes and then placed one of their hands in ice-cold water to test their reaction to pain.

Even after taking into account differences in age, years of medical training and the number of past laparoscopic surgeries performed the study found that surgeons who played video games were 27 per cent faster and made 37 per cent fewer errors than those who didn't.

“Virtual reality produces a modulating effect that is endogenous, so the analgesic influence is not simply a result of distraction but may also impact how the brain responds to painful stimuli,” said Jeffrey I. Gold, director of the Paediatric Pain Management Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. “The focus is drawn to the game not the pain or the medical procedure, while the virtual reality experience engages visual and other senses.” Research released just days ago by Keele University in the UK has come to a similar conclusion, although this study found volunteers had a better tolerance for pain after playing a violent video game.Participants played both a violent shooter and a non-violent golf game on separate occasions for 10 minutes and then placed one of their hands in ice-cold water to test their reaction to pain. On average, participants were able to keep their hands in the ice water for 65 per cent longer after playing the violent game. The Keele team suggests the increased pain tolerance and heart rate can be attributed to the body’s natural ‘fight or flight’ response to stress which can inhibit the body's sensitivity to pain.The study was prompted following research out of Keele showing that swearing increases people’s tolerance for pain. So we should all curse more.

Barnett did concede it may be that children who already have higher object control skills are more attracted to interactive electronic games more, although adults who play video games have also been observed to have better motor skills than non-gamers.A study published in 2007 by Iowa State University psychologist Douglas Gentile and Dr. James Rosser, head of minimally invasive surgery at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, compared laparoscopic surgeons who play video games with those who do not.In laparoscopic procedures, surgeons use small incisions and work with tiny video cameras and thin surgical tools. Even after taking into account differences in age, years of medical training and the number of past laparoscopic surgeries performed the study found that surgeons who played video games were 27 per cent faster and made 37 per cent fewer errors than those who didn't.“The single best predictor of their skills is how much they had played video games in the past and how much they played now,” said Gentile. “Those were better predictors of surgical skills than years of training and number of surgeries performed.”

The results of the study showed that object control motor skills (such as kicking, catching, and throwing a ball), were better in the children who played interactive games.“This study was not designed to assess whether interactive gaming can actually develop children’s movement skills, but the results are still quite interesting and point to a need to further explore a possible connection,” said Dr. Lisa Barnett, lead researcher on the study.“It could be that these children have higher object control skills because they are playing interactive games that may help to develop these types of skills (for example, the under hand roll through playing the bowling game on the Wii). Playing interactive electronic games may also help eye-hand coordination.”

Speaking with The New York Times last week, Maurer elaborated on why she thought first-person shooters proved so helpful.

n 2007 the University of Rochester, New York, revealed a study that had found just 30 hours of “training” on a first-person shooter can result in a significant boost to one’s spatial resolution; that is, the ability to clearly see small, densely packed together objects.

Research released just days ago by Keele University in the UK has come to a similar conclusion, although this study found volunteers had a better tolerance for pain after playing a violent video game.

According to a study unveiled in 2010 by the American Pain Society, video games and virtual reality experiences can be as helpful as pain relievers in children and adults. The study showed that, when immersed in a virtual environment, participants who were undergoing serious procedures like chemotherapy reported “significantly less stress and trepidation”. For burn wound care? Patients' pain ratings decreased by 30 to 50 per cent.

ideo games and virtual reality experiences can be as helpful as pain relievers in children and adults.

Video games could be actually rewiring the brain and allowing new connections to be formed. They could be unmasking connections that have always been there, but weren’t quite strong enough to be expressed. They might be helping the brain get more efficient at responding to small and weak visual signals. Or all three.”

It could be that these children have higher object control skills because they are playing interactive games that may help to develop these types of skills (for example, the under hand roll through playing the bowling game on the Wii). Playing interactive electronic games may also help eye-hand coordination.”

n 2009 another University of Rochester study also found that players of action games can become up to 58 per cent better at perceiving fine contrast differences.

There are two things parents around the world tend to tell their kids that they’ll go blind doing too often, and only one of them is masturbating.

n 2007 the University of Rochester, New York, revealed a study

Anybody who’s spent much time with pre-schoolers can tell you the only thing they’re much good at catching is conjunctivitis and about the only thing they can throw is spaghetti. On the floor.

Video games: they're addictive, they make kids fat and they turn us all into trained murderers. Or, at least, that’s what we’re often told. But what of the positive effects of video games? Surely there must be some?Yep, there are. Plenty, in fact.

According to a study unveiled in 2010 by the American Pain Society,