# From Controller to Screen: A Narrative Review of Video Games in Medicine

## TL;DR

This review explores how video games can help reduce stress, improve surgical skills, and benefit cardiovascular health in medical training and general wellness.

## Contribution

The paper provides a narrative review highlighting the novel use of video games in medical education and health improvement.

## Key findings

- Video games can relieve stress and improve cognition.
- They enhance surgical dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
- Video games may improve cardiovascular health.

## Abstract

Video games have become a global phenomenon in modern society as a means of entertainment, social interaction, and stress relief. Although they are often associated with negative effects, such as a lack of productivity and a sedentary lifestyle, research on video games displays potential benefits in everyday life and medical training. This narrative review provides an overview of video games and their contributions to stress relief, surgical dexterity, and cardiovascular health in the context of medical education and general wellness. To conduct this study, a comprehensive literature review search was performed utilizing PubMed and Google Scholar, placing emphasis on studies that discussed video games in society, in medicine, and in association with health. The following search terms were included: “video games in medicine,” “video games and mental health,” “video games and cardiovascular health,” “video games and surgery,” and more. Exclusion criteria for this review included papers not written in the native English language and case reports due to inherently small sample sizes.

Video games show promise in relieving stress and increasing cognition, improving surgical dexterity and hand-eye coordination, and improving general cardiovascular health. They pose as a potential implementation to improve the health and wellness of medical trainees. Despite the negative societal implications of video games, there is evidence that they provide health benefits and help hone skills needed in medicine. By reducing stress, preventing long-term disease, and increasing surgical skills and dexterity, video games tap into factors from which all people, especially physicians and medical trainees, can benefit from.