“Not Just Fun and Games” the Effects of Video Games on Hand Eye Coordination - a Randomised Controlled Trial
[1]
Tan Ying Li, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia.
[2]
Ooi Wei Zhen, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia.
[3]
Sajni Sriwardena Mahanama, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia.
[4]
Premkumar Ravichandran, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia.
[5]
Siti Farhanah Binti Abdul Kareem, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia.
A randomised-controlled trial was conducted over 6 weeks on Batch 35 medical students in Melaka Manipal Medical College (MMMC). A questionnaire was distributed to identify the gamers and non-gamers. Inclusion criteria were all the students in Batch 35. Those who are last played both video games and smartphone games less than 3 months ago and are currently playing were the exclusion criteria. Participants were required to throw the tennis ball with their right hand, catch it with their left hand and vice versa off a wall in 30 second standing 2 metres away. A baseline measurement was made for both control group and intervention group. Intervention group had to play a smartphone games “Make Them Jump” for 10 minutes in 7 days and second measurement were done. The number of catches were recorded for both groups and compared. With age as a confounding factor, logistic regression was performed and it was suggested that those who were in intervention group have better hand-eye coordination than those in control group (p<0.05), with odds ratio of 60.5. Participants in intervention group also felt more successful than those in control group. In conclusion, playing video games significantly increases hand eye coordination of an individual. This method may be incorporated into training of future generations of surgeons.
Video Games, Hand-eye Coordination, Surgery, Surgeon
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