St. Louis Eye Surgeon Generates Student Interest Via Video Games

Video games have been used to prepare the troops for combat in the warzone, to teach people how to drive, and pilots to fly a plane.

Seattle, WA (prHWY.com) March 28, 2012 - Video games have been used to prepare the troops for combat in the warzone, to teach people how to drive, and pilots to fly a plane. A local eye surgeon in St. Louis has taken the concept of video games a step further and developed a game that will get high school and college students interested in performing eye surgery and running their own doctor's office.

"When I would visit the local colleges and schools, students would tell me that they wanted to become heart or brain surgeons", said Dr. Henderson of Crystal Clear Vision and Optical Surgery. "No one said 'I want to be an eye surgeon', and I thought it was time to change that."

Dr. Alvin Henderson teamed up with video game producer Chickens in the House, and worked to develop a game that puts people in the seat of an eye surgeon. Students learn how to perform basic eye surgeries, run an office, and how to market their services to the public. They have to hire office staff, assistants and work to bring customers into their office.

"The game is very similar to the old video game known as Sims", said game developer Chris Gavil. "People get to pick out what they look like; they decorate their office, attend seminars, and perform surgeries, just like the real world. There are different levels and skill points, and the key is to keep working so you can develop your eye surgery office."

Dr. Henderson marketed the video game to local high schools and community colleges. Students who were interested could sign up for the program, where they compete against each other to see who can develop the best eye surgeon's office.

"Every month I hold a contest to see who can get some of the top scores out of those who participate", said Henderson. "I give away prizes such as gift certificates to the local mall, free meals at local restaurants, and even DVDs and video games. The whole goal is to generate interest in eye surgery and becoming a surgeon, and the prizes help."

The eye surgeon program was released to local schools in September, and already has 60 students who participate regularly in the program. It is estimated that next year over 200 students will participate in the program.

"I always envisioned myself working in the medical field," said high school senior, Greg Stubbins. "This program opened my eyes to what it would be like to work as an eye surgeon, and it seems really interesting. I want to be one when I graduate college."

###

Tag Words: None

Categories: Health

Link To This Press Release:

URL HTML Code