In a switch from the normally dark, cruel, hate-filled news in gaming culture lately, one video game directly attributed to saving the lives of three rather lucky people earlier this week.

Gryffin and his younger brother were riding with their 74 year old grandmother in Colorado, when she inexplicably passed out--leaving Gryffin, 10, to snatch the wheel before the car could veer into traffic.

He then directed it to the side of the road and in to a muddy ditch. The car was travelling at about 60 miles per hour. No one was hurt, though the situation could have been truly tragic had Gryffin been any less awesome--or had he not been at least somewhat familiar with video games.

Gryffin attests his quick thinking to Mario Kart.

"My first thought was actually... 'is this a test, or what?'"



While we may think of video games as a brain-mashing pastime that is only fit for the basement dwellers of our generation, this instance really shows how video games, especially to younger children, can help develop reaction times, decision-making and even prepare them for real life situations.

The fact that there were no blue shells helped.