PLAYBOOKS: FOR THE NINTENDO wii

Trauma Center: Second Opinion

Players will guide two medical surgeons through intense operations using the intuitive Wii remote control. Dr. Derek Styles and Dr. Naomi Kimishima (Nozomi Weaver) must suture wounds, remove tumors, fix broken bones, conduct organ transplants, and eradicate viruses to save their patients and become some of the greatest surgeons of their time.

Game play alone results in modest improvements in real-world executive skills. Please refer to our Playbook Tutorial, general coaching and comprehensive guides to transfer game skills to sustainable real-life behaviors.

QUICK FACTS

Game Type: Medical Simulation
Platform/Console: Nintendo Wii
Number of Players: 1 (can be multi-player)
ESRB Rating: T - Teen (reading skills required)
LWK Recommended Age: 8+
Buy Now From: Amazon.com

 

This Game is Good for Kids Who Need Help With:

• staying focused (sustained attention)
• avoiding distractions (sustained attention)
• completing tasks in a timely manner (sustained attention)
• planning activities (planning)
• solving problems (planning)
• completing multi-step directions (working memory)
• following instructions in school (working memory)
• remembering (working memory)
• staying motivated (goal-directed persistence)
• working to potential (goal-directed persistence)
• being adaptable (flexibility)
• making transitions (flexibility)
• being cautious (response inhibition)
• thinking before acting (response inhibition)
• staying positive and relaxed during everyday situations (regulation of affect)
• managing emotions (regulation of affect)
• judging time needed for completing tasks (time management)
• starting one thing before finishing another (time management)

What You Need to Know About the Game:

Don’t worry if the medical terms used in-game sound intimidating. Although they are used consistently throughout “Trauma Center: Second Opinion”, it is not necessary to understand the terms to progress. The use of real medical terminology may even be a great opportunity for children to develop an interest in and understanding of the medical field. 

Also, please note that operations do not look real and are appropriate for children.

Solutions:

For parents who would like a walkthrough, many great fan-made (and free!) walkthroughs can be found on the Internet. We recommend you try searching at www.gamefaqs.com.

This Game Can Help Your Kids With Response Inhibition:

This game is good for kids who struggle with being cautious and thinking before acting because they must:

• Think before moving a move. Making any mistakes during surgery will hurt the patient and increase the risk of death.

• Know when to stop an action and do so as quickly as possible. Example: Using a laser in one location on a patient for too long will hurt them. The player must stop using it when they have finished what they need to with the laser.

Talking Points:

• What happens to a patient if you make a mistake during surgery?
• How did thinking before you acted help you to make fewer mistakes?
• How is being careful during surgery like showing caution while preparing hot food or using scissors?
• What happens if you use a laser on a patient for too long?
• How did stopping your actions as quickly as possible help you to keep the patient’s life meter full?
• How is knowing when to use the laser like being able to take turns in conversations or games?

 Making It Real:

• Utilize peers to model strengths in response inhibition in the classroom setting or at home.  Pairing an impulsive child with a classroom “buddy” who is able to display restraint often makes the impulsive child more aware of his/her actions. In home and social settings, impulsive children often feed off of each other, and combinations of two or more impulsive children can quickly become out of control.

 This Game Can Help Kids With Time Management:

This game is good for kids who struggle with judging time needed for completing tasks and starting one thing before finishing another because they must:

• Work quickly and efficiently. Again, players need to be careful so they won’t make mistakes and hurt the patient, but speed is also essential in surgery. Taking too much time is bad for the patient’s health. If time runs out or if the patient’s vitals drop to 0, the player will fail and they will need to start the surgery over.

• Prioritize and attend to the most important tasks and (temporarily) ignore other problems. Example: Players must concentrate on treating deadly wounds first. If they are left untreated for too long, the patient will die. 

Talking Points:

• How do you know how much time you have to finish an operation?
• How did managing your time help you to save your patients?
• How is finishing surgery quickly and efficiently like being able to work fast if there is a deadline?
• How do you know which problems are the most important ones to attend in surgery?
• How did prioritizing help you to keep your patients’ vitals up?
• How can attending to the most important tasks in surgery help you to prioritize and complete the most important tasks at home?

Making it Real:

• Set reasonable time limits for tasks and then work to reduce these time limits.  For example, set an expectation that a child can unload the dishwasher or clear off the table within 15 minutes. Gradually decrease the amount of time and praise the child for efforts towards completing this task more efficiently.

• Model prioritization of activities. Create a “to do” list with necessary and discretionary items to help you display these activities from most important to least important. Help the children create similar lists for themselves.