Young patients in New Jersey may have something to look forward to for calming their nerves soon. As part of a clinical trial, the New Jersey University of Medicine and Dentistry is testing the effects of playing Gameboy games before surgery on levels of anxiety. The researchers theorize that playing Gameboy before surgery might be as effective as certain anti-anxiety drugs in helping young patients cope with stress.

There seems to be a lot of interest among the medical community these days into the uses in videogames in hospital environments.  With studies possibly showing that doctors should play Super Monkey Ball before operating and children should play Gameboy before surgery, maybe we can look forward to a day where gaming consoles are a standard fixture in doctors’ offices.