Don't show this one to the kids...

If you're wondering if there is any up side to those video games your kids are always playing, listen up.  New studies show the skills and hand-eye coordination honed by playing certain video games actually help doctors to perform life saving surgeries.

Eight doctor trainees at the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Centre in Phoenix, Arizona spent an hour playing video games with a console (not keyboard) setup.  Afterwards, the gamer surgeons performed a simulated, "virtual" surgery using a high-tech software system. The surgeons scored better during these virtual surgeries after playing specific games.  According to researchers, the surgical students were better equipped to make the precise and accurate movements required during surgery after playing specific video games.

The doctors used the Nintendo Wii system and focused on games that call for precise, finely controlled movements.  Researchers credit the success to wireless controllers, which allow the player to direct action on a separate screen. 

A similar study by Beth Israel and Iowa State University's National Institute on Media and the Family tested more than 60 doctors and found that surgeons who spent at least three hours a week playing video games performed 27 percent faster than their non-gaming counterparts.  The gamer docs also made about 37 percent fewer mistakes.