Should Your Doctor be Playing Video Games?

"What do you mean you make video games for doctors?" is often the response I get when describing my job to someone. Most people then ask if I mean surgical simulations, and that’s one part of it, but the reality is much/ broader. Why should gaming technology in medicine stop at surgery? 

The state-of-the-art in medical training and certification is often leagues behind what video game technology is capable of. The reality is, current training doesn't provide doctors the tools to practice in a safe, risk-free way. The system forces them to practice for the first time on real patients. A doctor's first time using a new device, with all the nuances of tissue response, bleeding, and complications, often happens in a live clinical setting. The same goes for prescribing a new medication - the first time a physician adjusts a dosage, monitors side effects, or manages drug interactions is likely to be on an actual patient. 

We’ve all seen studies showing that games can improve cognitive skills, mental health, and enable social connections – but teach medicine? Our games excel at creating interactive, rewarding, high-retention learning experiences. This is why we are developing them for brands to use in medical education. Consider some examples:

• Managing Type 1 Diabetes or a ventilator requires precise timing and pattern recognition, just like a Rhythm game.
• Decision-based branching narratives (akin to RPGs) simulate complex patient cases with varied outcomes.
• Making a complex diagnosis by eliminating differentials can be represented through a reductive reasoning game.
• Highly satisfying casual games can make learning drug mechanisms or clinical trial data easier to remember.

The medical field moves carefully, and for good reasons. But with the rapid pace of gaming innovation, Level Ex Games is closing the gap. Video games allow safe, repeatable, and enjoyable ways to learn. By integrating game mechanics into medical training, we can better prepare doctors before they ever interact with a real patient.