"There's a section of the game that teaches you to control bleeding and treat shock... and I used it"
At the end of last year, avid gamer Paxton Galvanek became a real life hero when he used medical skills learnt in America's Army to assist at the scene of a road traffic accident. Galvanek was first on the scene and quickly assessed the situation. The driver of the crashed vehicle had severed some fingers and - thanks to the virtual training he had received in America's Army - Galvanek knew exactly what to do and jumped into action. America's Army. Hell yeah. You can see Galvanek's well earned 15 minutes in this Fox News report.
If you want to experience what it's - sort of - like to be in America's army without having to actually, y'know, be in America's army, then you can download America's Army absolutely free.
"I noticed my drug habits decreased as Dance Dance Revolution helped me deal with my anger issues"
In this winning entry to a Global Kids essay competition, the writer describes how playing videogames steered his life in a positive direction. "Before I started playing games I was a heavy drug addict. I spent all my money from my job on marijuana." What a waste. Luckily he bucked up his ideas and got hooked into videogames instead. "Since I started playing DDR, Counter-Strike, and Second Life I have been clean and off drugs, which is why I still game to this day." What a champion.
Indeed, while some people smoke drugs, attend self-help groups or turn to God, some of life's troubled souls discover that their salvation lies within the virtual sanctity of videogames. Whether it's a ZX Spectrum saving someone from becoming another yob on the streets or Halo helping someone through dark times, there's evidence all over the internet of videogames having an entirely positive impact on people's lives. Yes, it's true, videogames really can save lives.
