Gaming; once a threat for the youth, now a learningtool for professionals

For years, and still, gaming has been seen as a hazard for the youth. Violence, the deterioration of the social mores and all kind of other problems should have been originated, or at least increased, by gaming. Games such as Grand Theft Auto were denounced as a main factor in youth problems.
Opponent of the "games are bad"-opinion say that games can be important tools that can help education and develop skills. Simulators are already used in many situations but these cannot be seen as games. But now news from game-developer Grendel Games this week could become a missing link in the uniting of games and education. This Dutch company does not only develop entertainment games, but also have a serious game division that has developed "a seriously entertaining game" that can train medical specialists for laparoscopic surgery. Tim Laning from Grendel Games stated that professional simulation games are expensive and therefore not available for every medical specialist. A serious entertainment game could provide the solution because it could not only be used by professionals but also by gamers. Furthermore, Laning stated that another reason for not using a simulator is because it is not entertaining. This new serious entertaining game should be challenging to play. Grendel will test the game with professionals as well as 'normal' people and hope that this development will benefit all parties.