9 random facts for Video Games Day

Why should all surgeons play video games every day? And who was Super Mario named after? Here are a few things you should know for Germany's Video Games Day on July 8.

Record speed

It's hard to believe, but Toshiyuki Takahashi from Japan is able to push the button on his controller 16 times in one second. Quick reaction times are essential is gaming and he's a record-setter. In the game "Star Soldier," he shot 12.3 times in one second.

An unlikely star

The chubby, mustached Italian with the blue overalls is by far the best-known computer game character in the world. He was born in 1981 and is based on a real person: Mario Segale, who rented warehouses to Nintendo. "Super Mario" was a forerunner in the jump and run games.

New stage for Hollywood stars

For many young people, computer games are more important than going to the movies. The graphics have become more realistic and the stories more complex. So it's no wonder that actors are now making appearances in games. Ellen Page, seen here in "Beyond: Two Souls," was a pioneer. But it works the other way around too: "Tomb Raider" and "Resident Evil" were games that were later turned into films.

Good practice for surgeons

Some say video games lead to aggression. Others say they can relax you and improve your reflexes. According to a study in the US, surgeons that play video games are quicker and make fewer mistakes in the operating room. Another study claims that medical students do better on their abdominal laparoscopic simulations if they play first-person shooter games for half an hour a day.

Are computer games to blame?

When a tragic school shooting occurs, people often blame "violence-promoting" first-person shooter games, in which the player shoots anything that his or her figure sees. But whether or not gaming leads to violence is a matter of debate. Many in Germany called for first-person shooter games to be banned after a school shooting occurred in Erfurt in 2002. The gunman killed 16 people and himself.

Case study for reality?

"Corrupted Blood" was a virtual plague that went rampant in the "World of Warcraft" game for one week in 2005. Intended to last for a few seconds, it quickly spread across the entire virtual world until a combination of resets finally brought relief. Epidemiologists and counter-terrorist experts are studying the incident to find parallels to how humans might react in case of a real-life epidemic.

Interacting with real-life tragedies

Should you run away or bribe the border police? So-called "serious games" allow people to experience tragic realities in an interactive way. In "Frontiers - You've Reached Fortress Europe," players take on the role of refugees trying to enter Europe. Other serious games involve players in the Syrian war and famine in Darfur.

Gaming at the highest level

In 2015, one man, Abdulaziz Alshehri from Saudi Arabia, won the soccer World Cup - at least on screen. Gaming has evolved from a pastime to a profession in recent years. At international competitions, professional teams like Fnatic and Luminosity Gaming vie against each other in disciplines like "League of Legends" and "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive."

Get rich with gaming

$18 million is quite a lot of money. That's the largest sum that's ever been offered as prize money in an e-sports tournament. During the Dota 2 contest, teams of five defended their bases in a virtual arena and tried to wipe out the opponents. The tournament has grown since it was founded in 2011, when the prize money totaled just $1.6 million.

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