Top 10 Times Video Games Actually Saved Lives

There have been a handful of examples over the last decade or so of kids using techniques in games to avert serious situations. Though, we hadn’t seen anything quite like this. Tony, a fifteen-year-old high school student, would blow the minds of various surgeons after showing them a new way to conduct hysterectomy operations. The tool Tony developed was for nothing grander than a school science fair, and it was designed for the user to employ the same hand-eye coordination skills one would use playing a video game. It also helps that Tony’s high school offered medical courses, too, but still, it’s cool to see gaming continue to make leaps into the medical field.

Speaking of surgeons and operations, there is one doctor whose methods might seem a tad odd to those who aren’t into gaming. Dr. James Rosser specializes in laparoscopic surgery, a form of surgery that involves inserting long, thin instruments into the abdomen to cut and manipulate tissue. As with most forms of surgery, it’s a delicate procedure as it doesn’t utilize a sizable incision. So, how does Dr. Rosser prepare for such a task? Why, he spends a bit of time playing “Super Monkey Ball”! Even more astounding, Dr. Rosser is also the co-author of a 2004 study that found how video games can make surgeons quicker in their operations thanks to how they can help improve hand-eye coordination.

There are plenty of stories one can read on how video games helped people get over bad break-ups. This one comes from former contributor for Geek Girl Authority, Jessica Marsh who published her own such story. Marsh would go through an awful break-up with her then-fiance that left her with nothing but a bed, TV, a PS3, and a PS4. She went through a period where she felt empty and incredibly depressed, that is until she played “BioShock” again. Despite having played the game with others who she had stopped seeing, “BioShock” helped give her a sense of direction with its gloomy wonder and immersive story. This would eventually lead her to other games like “Cave Story”, “Journey”, and “Flower”, games that would also help her learn valuable life lessons.

So far, we’ve seen how games can influence medical practices and oftentimes, life choices. But very rarely do we get to see how a game can educate on life-saving methods. In 2008, Paxton Galvanek saved two people from an awful traffic accident, and he did so without any medical courses whatsoever. Turns out, he would learn how to control bleeding through the video game “America’s Army”, which has in-game training sessions on various life-saving techniques. According to Colonel Wardinski in an interview with Fox News, techniques like this were not publicly available, and after the tragic events of 9/11, they decided to implement the courses into the game.

If you haven’t heard of Shawn Kittelsen, well, you’ve probably played a couple of games he’s helped write, most notably “Injustice 2” and “Mortal Kombat 11”. However, there was a time when sitting down and writing these games started to affect his health. In a Polygon article, Kittelsen noted he had begun to experience weight gain, back pain, and depression between 2014 and 2016 before suffering from herniated discs in 2017. After much physical therapy and treatment, Kittelsen would stumble upon a VR headset, the Oculus Rift, and began exploring a handful of VR titles. Not only was Kittelsen able to lose weight through playing VR games, he was also able to improve his blood pressure and gained more muscle.

For those unaware, Jane McGonigal has long been a prominent figure in the world of gaming, specifically the area of gaming that focuses on mental health. Through gaming, McGonigal has found ways to help people with motivational issues and even developed an app to help folks improve themselves called "SuperBetter". Surprisingly enough, "SuperBetter" was originally developed by McGonigal for herself as a means to help overcome a severe concussion. It was through this tough period in her life that she would turn "SuperBetter" into a tool anyone can use to overcome their challenges, regardless of what they might be.

A common belief joked about online is how our online friends are sometimes more real than those we know in-person. This story comes from Giant Bomb user "evilrazer". A military base outside of his apartment had just been attacked, and it caused Razer to immediately flee his home. Unable to get a hold of friends in other Ukranian cities, he would turn to his friends on Steam, people who he had only made contact with through games like "Team Fortress 2". Much to his surprise, they all helped give him food and shelter until he was able to seek asylum in another country. As Razer himself preaches at the end of his story, "never take your real life friends or internet buddies for granted."

In June 2018, the World Health Organization’s definition of “gaming disorder” sparked controversy among games media pundits and developers. As a response, Garin Turner, writer of games such as “Trials of Unrest” and “Mutant Football League”, posted on PlayStation Lifestyle about how gaming helped him get through his own situations. Turner had been a victim of abuse and violence on multiple occasions, but he managed to find solace in video games. This would inspire Turner later in life to go into writing for video games, and he’s even gone on to work in movies and sports as well.

Winters went through quite a bit of turbulence to get to where she is today. At an early age, she was diagnosed with ocular albinism, which had made her vision so impaired she was classified as legally blind. At ten years old, her doctor surprisingly prescribed video games and advised a trip to GameStop. It was there she would receive a couple of games as well as a Game Boy Pocket. Two years of “Breakout” and “Pokemon” later and Winters’ vision improved twofold, allowing her to go from reading massive books with large font to regular-sized ones. To this day, Winters continues to advocate for and help improve accessibility options in games and has even worked on games such as “Final Fantasy XIV”.

To call Yang’s tribulation a miracle would be an understatement. In his teens, Yang had succumbed to a terminal illness that left his doctors’ heads scratching. His condition kept worsening until the day they expected his passing. However, Yang was hospitalized for two whole years, and he felt hopeless. Luckily, he found hope again through playing video games, experiencing new worlds and meeting various players through online multiplayer. Over time, Yang would make a spontaneous recovery, eventually allowing him to go back to school and rebuild his life. Today, Yang serves as founder and CEO of Serenity Forge, and his team have published a plethora of games like “Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!”, “Pinstripe”, and “Death’s Gambit: Afterlife”.