GamerNode: News - Gamer uses virtual medic training to help save a life

Gamer uses virtual medic training to help save a life

Category: Industry, Posted: 01/17/2008 at 03:25PM EST by Brendon Lindsey, GN Director

I just got an email from the people behind America's Army (you know, that free US Army FPS) talking about an event late last year where a gamer saved a life due to knowledge he gained while playing the game.

Twenty-eight year old Paxton Galvanek was driving home on the I-40, about 25 miles south of Raleigh, NC when he witnessed an SUV lose control a flip over several times. While his wife called 911, he stopped the car and ran over to see if he could help.

Noticing two people in the car, he quickly freed them from the smoking wreckage and pulled them to safety. One of the men had only minor injuries, and Paxton took him away from the wreckage and warned him to stay clear of the smoking vehicle. The other man, however, was not so lucky. Paxton noticed he was bleeding profusely due to several missing fingers, and appeared to be suffering from severe head trauma.

Paxton took him clear of the vehicle, found a towel and kept it pressed against the man's lost fingers, and examined the head injury to determine what he could do to help. He decided the head injury wasn't as serious, so focused on the hand, telling the man to sit down, relax, and lift his hand high above his head. Five minutes later a soldier in plain clothing arrived on the scene and took over, informing Paxton that he had done all the right things and thanks to him the badly injured man wasn't in any immediate danger. With the ambulance on the way, Paxton went back to his car, and continued his drive home.

Some time after the incident, Paxton wrote the people behind America's Army, thanking them for the medical training in the game he had used to possibly save a stranger's life. "I have received no prior medical training and can honestly say that because of the training and presentations within America's Army, I was able to help and possibly save the injured men. As I look back on the events of that day, the training that I received in the America's Army video game keeps coming to mind," he wrote.

"I remember vividly in section four of the game's medic training, during the field medic scenarios, I had to evaluate the situation and place priority on the more critically wounded. In the case of this accident, I evaluated the situation and placed priority on the driver of the car who had missing fingers. I then recalled that in section two of the medic training, I learned about controlled bleeding. I noticed that the wounded man had severe bleeding that he could not control. I used a towel as a dressing and asked the man to hold the towel on his wound and to raise his hand above his head to lessen the blood flow which allowed me to evaluate his other injuries which included a cut on his head."

Said Casey Wardynski, the project director for America's Army, "Paxton is a true hero. We are pleased to have played a role in providing the lifesaving training that he employed so successfully at the scene."

Well done, Mr. Galvanek.

(20)

Posted by riel on 01/17/2008 at 03:44PM

That is amazing

Posted by Dr.Aaron on 01/17/2008 at 03:59PM

I never tried america's army before, I'll try it now, and maybe save some lifes someday. :D

Posted by Archem on 01/17/2008 at 05:12PM

I never quite finished the medical training...

Posted by bluseychris on 01/17/2008 at 07:08PM

We've had that happen with people over here because of the drama tv show Casualty. It's always nice to here.

Posted by Kester on 01/18/2008 at 04:53AM

And they say we don't learn anything from playing games!

Posted by GregorSamsa on 01/18/2008 at 06:22AM

This is obviously a plant. I am appalled by the very existence of this recruitment tool, let alone the idea that they would market it such that it appears to be a didactic, beneficial experience rather than one of grooming members of the public for enlistment. Even if this were true, how dare "the people behind America's Army " show such callous disregard for human life by stating that they "played a role in providing" any degree of "lifesaving training"? How incredibly irresponsible. I am very sorry that your government and "the people behind America's Army " have so little respect for you.

Posted by bulldoglegal on 01/18/2008 at 10:30AM

What is your problem? Are you that antimilitary that you can't even accept the fact that Army training can serve to save lives outside of the wire. I mean really. The guy learned training from America's Army and put it to use. Training that anyone in the Army agrees is high quality and almost as good as what we receive. Yes, America's Army is a recruiting tool but some of the stuff that you can learn is just to know in everyday life. Could you have done the same in this man's situation? I think not. So get over yourself. I commend the guy for quick thinking and resourcefulness. Good Job.

Posted by ninjalegend on 01/18/2008 at 11:50AM

Gregorsamsa, how do you market something "Free"? And you find them calloused for helping save a life and saying "we helped"? I've learned things in school such as caveat emptor, (let the buyer beware) and Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum (if you want peace, prepare for war) from a latin class grooming me for advanced studies that I use in everyday life. And our government is the best out there (Imo), it is just the crackpots running it that are the problem.

Posted by pgalvanek on 01/18/2008 at 12:12PM

How is this in any way a plant GregorSamsa? I simply emailed the developers and thanked them for putting the medic traning in game and told them what had happened to me. I was not looking for publicity, but they felt that it was important to show people the positive aspects of gaming. AA is a great game and I have played it for years and yes it was designed as a recruiting tool, but all in all, it's a great game and a pretty neat resource.

Thanks
-Paxton Galvanek
www.GWadagency.com

Posted by GregorSamsa on 01/18/2008 at 08:35PM

Alright, you adorable little twits, I'll address this all in order, shall I? Listen closely, as I may bore of repeating myself... "bulldoglegal": Am I anti-military? Why, I'm not sure that's in ANY way relevant to the topic at hand. Nothing I said had anything to do with any military, and I am quite happy to agree that ACTUAL "Army training can serve to save lives". However, and this applies to all of you, I posit that watching a film about self-defense will never prepare you for an attack, nor will reading a book about flying a plane aid you were you to ever find yourself in the cockpit of one. I still maintain that it was irresponsible for the 'developers' to bow and smugly accept praise for "playing a role" in preparing someone for a medical crisis. This is a game, people, an insidious and insulting attempt by your government to present warfare as entertainment with the ultimate goal of having you sign your life away to them. Could I have done the same in that situation? Yes, frankly, I could. Your assumptions, bulldog, are yet another signifier of an unevolved and indoctrinated personality, you have my pity. I have received first aid and emergency medical training from real people, not from the other end of a mouse and keyboard. I suggest you remove the log from your eye, etc, etc.

As for the rest of you, quoting latin at me is cute, but ill-advised if you're looking to come across as anything other than a faux-intellectual, desperate for any modicum of authority he might be seen to wield behind the business end of some carefully memorized quotations. You market something 'free', ninja, because it is not the product you are marketing but the buyer's interest in your recruitment package. Also, I don't find them 'calloused', I find their disregard for your safety 'callous'. Perhaps you should learn english before you attempt to dive into latin? Your government and the crackpots running it are separate in your mind, and I'm going to puzzle over that endlessly. I really can't begin to imagine how strange and wondrous the politics over there must seem to you, what with these mysterious crackpots making a mess and your government unable to stop them (what with being the best out there, and all).

Finally, Galvanek, if your story is true... and I hope it is... then you should be careful with the things you say regarding your achievement. If you truly think that a computer game where you can shoot a man in the leg without flooring him, merely changing his health to yellow instead of green, is an accurate and useful representation of the horrific environments that war generates, you need to have your head examined. Perhaps you learnt a valuable lesson in being able to discern where to direct your attention, but no game will ever 'train' someone for a real-world situation.

America's Army is propaganda, pure and simple. No game should ever infect people with the idea that joining the army is anything other than a resignation to the fact that you will watch human beings die, and that you very well may die yourself. This is not a game, people, it's mass-market, main-stream brainwashing. And you're swallowing it hook, line and sinker. My main argument is not with you, it is with the fact that the game's developers saw fit to acknowledge a role in training someone for something with their game. The very idea is abhorrent, and I am sad for all who cannot see the tragedy of this insult to those who fight and die in wars around the world... especially the real ones.

Posted by GregorSamsa on 01/18/2008 at 08:44PM

Also, Paxton... I have to say that I find it rather suspicious that when I search for this incident and your name, I find only links to tech or gaming websites that are carrying this news. I cannot begin to imagine why not even a single online paper or local periodical would carry the story of your exploits. Please furnish me with a link or two that does not direct me to a gaming or tech site.

Posted by JohnHD on 01/19/2008 at 03:51AM

Hi, I just signed up to call GregorSamsa a whiny little bitch. Nice work, internet tough guy, wasting five paragraphs and dropping shit like "modicum" and "faux-intellectual" in an attempt to assert your perceived moral superiority.

Next.

Posted by NJSURFER on 01/19/2008 at 07:05AM

You CAN learn something from any experience, be it formal or informal...like a video game. GregorSama, its not like he performed brain surgery and is trying to credit a video game on teaching him. He performed basic first aid to an injured person, simple as that. If he learned it from Americas Army, so be it. He is my brother-in-law, so I know the story you are reading happens to be true. He did something while dozens and dozens of other cars just kept driving by. What would you have done and who would you credit for your actions?

-Jon Bolos

Posted by Chrono447 on 01/19/2008 at 07:23AM

Wow! He was doing everything that you learn to do in a First Aid course! OMG!

I mean hell, if you know anything about the human body or how liquids flow in general, you'd know that it'll be more difficult for blood (or a liquid) to travel upwards than downwards, and as such elevating the body part that is injured and bleeding will help to slow the loss of blood. It's not freaking rocket science!

I guess I should credit various driving games for my abilities at being able to avoid collisions or keep control of my vehicle when something unexpected happens, or maybe any flight sim game for my ability to fly an airplane. Forget all the training I've done in real life, I learned how to fly a plane and drive a car in a video game!

Posted by Taisykis on 01/19/2008 at 09:15AM

Just registered to post a compromise

Both sides are right in this argument: GregorSamsa is correct that literature theory, with no ability to ask certain questions won't prepare you for a real situation and if we are talking about realy knowing what to do only and only practise can do it. I played and passed the medic exam 100% the first time i tried, since what is given there is basic stuff that children in schools (~14 years age) should be though. As for the others: theory in the game for people who didn't receive any information on it (which is in very awkward situations since you can't get a drivers licence withouth getting first aid instructions.

All in all good job helping out in a car accident

Posted by ninjalegend on 01/20/2008 at 04:30AM

Wow, GregorSama. If you think I sounded pompous, I apologize. However, why insult me? You said: "I am appalled by the very existence of this recruitment tool, let alone the idea that they would market it such that it appears to be a didactic, beneficial experience rather than one of grooming members of the public for enlistment." I know it is a run on sentence, however, I don't care. I said: "Gregorsamsa, how do you market something "Free"?". The reason I said that was because the "it" in your sentence would refer to "recruitment tool". And you can't market something free. Further, you go on to prove this by saying: "You market something 'free', ninja, because it is not the product you are marketing but the buyer's interest in your recruitment package." And then you have the nerve to tell me to "learn english". "a faux-intellectual, desperate for any modicum of authority" Ok, that was funny. I hope you took that one from my Anarchist avatar, and not from sheer anger and frustration. Any moron who knows the definition of anarchy knows I detest authority.

Posted by BFinS on 01/20/2008 at 10:14AM

[quote]Also, Paxton... I have to say that I find it rather suspicious that when I search for this incident and your name, I find only links to tech or gaming websites that are carrying this news. I cannot begin to imagine why not even a single online paper or local periodical would carry the story of your exploits. Please furnish me with a link or two that does not direct me to a gaming or tech site.[/quote]

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?011908/011908_ff_galvanek&FOX_Friends&%27America%27s%20Army%27&acc&FOX%20%26%20Friends&-1&Shows&180&&&new

From Fox News. Now be quiet.

Posted by BFinS on 01/20/2008 at 07:13PM

[/quote]maybe any flight sim game for my ability to fly an airplane[/quote]

Actually, in certain circumstances you can use MS Flight Sim 9 or X for flight training. And the Army uses this "game" to train troops as well. So, yes, games can translate into real life skills.

Posted by denambren on 01/22/2008 at 10:08AM

Quote from Gregorsamsa:

"Alright, you adorable little twits, I'll address this all in order, shall I? Listen closely, as I may bore of repeating myself..."

I think you mistook this comments page for a roleplaying forum.

Posted by pgalvanek on 01/23/2008 at 12:27AM

Here is the initial story from November, it didn't make headline news becuase no one died and several people died that weekend on the road: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2084471

Here is the follow-up story for WRAL: http://www.wral.com/business/local_tech_wire/opinion/story/2334347

The US Army investigated the accident and spoke to the state troopers, all details were confirmed. There is a 911 Call from my wife Jessica stating that they need to send an ambulance "My husband is at the accident pulling people from the wrecked vehicle".

And the only reason why this story is on gamer website is becuase America's Army on published their "Press Release" on gamer sites, it never was meant to be a public story, just a small story of interest.

Let me know if you need any additional information.
-Paxton Galvanek