Recently, I have been hearing about some awesome stories of people using things they learned in video games to save lives. No joke! Who would have thought playing a video game could benefit individuals in such a way. I have heard that surgeons use Monkey Ball as a tool to help them practice their precision for operations, but using games as a survival guide has actually worked!

Thanks Kotaku for giving me my daily fill of interesting video game news. (w00t)

This first story is about a guy named Paxton Galvankek who plays Americas Army. After playing the medical training mode he was a certified medic (in the game, of course). Well, one day he came upon an accident while he was driving on the highway. He witnessed a car flip multiple times. He pulled two injured passengers from the SUV and properly assessed their wounds. He even knew how to handle a mutilated hand thanks to this video game! Now Paxton has a great excuse to tell his wife when he is staying up late and playing a game. He can say, “I’m learning how to save lives, honey!”. Cant argue with that.

I read another great story about a boy who survived a moose attack by using survival techniques he learned in World of Warcraft. Now, I have never come in contact with a moose, but I’m sure if I saw one I would pee my pants; they’re huge animals! At twelve years old Hans Jorgen Olsen from Norway used a skill acquired at level 30 to his advantage when he saw this massive mammal. Hans used “Feign death” which allows a character to collapse to the ground and convince their enemies that they’re dead. It worked! This kid is either very smart or thinks he lives in WoW. Either way, it makes for a great story.

Here are the articles if you want more info on their stories:

America’s Army Player Saves Real Life

Boy Survives Moose Attack Thanks To World Of Warcraft

Game On!