Welcome
TO THE MOST INCREDIBLE INTRO TRIVIA CHALLENGEEEE!
Where we separate the elites
from "The Noobs"
Ready to play?
Which game was the first to feature
Regenerating Health?
Think about it, and I'll catch you after the intro.
*Game Theory Intro Music*
Hello, internet,
Welcome to Game Theory:
The show that's like a Medkit for your mind!
Speaking of medkits, let's talk about video game healing.
Are you tired of having to go to the doctor every time you get shot in the face?
Are you sick of having to manage your supply of healing sprays or green herbs?
Wouldn't it be nice if you could just get shot, sit down, and feel as good as new?
Well, now you can with modern FPS!
With modern FPS, even the most massive internal bleeding can be solved with a minute behind this grenade-proof credenza.
Shot 20 times? Silly bullets!
*sparkly, pretty healing magic*
Don't worry, all better!
Thanks, Modern FPS!
Modern FPS
Warfare so realistic, you'll want to enlist!
Warfare depicted in-game may not actually reflect realistic wartime scenarios.
Seriously though, most people think regenerating health is a new concept that started with Halo.
It's not.
In fact, Halo didn't even have regenerating health--it was a regenerating shield, but I can understand the confusion.
No, the first-ever game with regenerating health was the 1984 RPG Hydlide, a title beloved by gamers both then and now.
"I hate Hydlide. I hate this game so much."
"Hydlide. Just saying the name gives you a gag reflex like you're about to puke."
So, did you get the Most Incredible Intro Trivia Challenge right?
No? Other acceptable answers would include Faceball 2000 for being the first-ever FPS with health regen
and The Getaway for using context clues like limping and blood spatter to indicate
your character's level of health, something that would become the standard for franchises like Call of Duty,
and that was the breaking point.
When Call of Duty started to do it, that's when the hate started to pile on,
because, for as modern as its warfare may claim to be, regenerating health just isn't realistic.
Or maybe it is?
Is the ability to regen really that far-fetched for humans?
Plus, what about medkits? Let's be honest here, that whole "health pack" concept wasn't much more realistic.
That being said, is it a trope more accurate than regenerating health?
prepare to be-healed My Theorists
As we take our positions
On the front lines...
of SCIENCE.
For most of you, myself included,
the thought that humans can have
regenerating Health seems like a crazier idea
than trying to take on Battletoads
In 2 player mode. But here's a
mind blow for you: humans
can already regenerate
Believe it! The first and most
common example is your skin
your skin is constantly replenishing
itself, as evidence by that dandruff
on your shoulder right now, oh might wanna
brush it off? Yeah, there you go.
Avoid dark clothes in the future. This
is called COMPLETE REGENERATION, where the
tissue isn't injured and the new tissue
is as good as new, but as
you know, your skin can also repair
itself. Say, when you get a cut
or, to use our gaming example,
when you get shot. This is called
Incomplete Regeneration, as the repair
doesn't identically match what was
before; you could always see
the scar. Well *whoopiededoo*,
I hear you thinking. When Soap
gets shot, he needs a LOT more than a
skin patch, to heal all Wolverine
style, anndd you're right.
but we're far from done, the liver
is another organ of the body that'll grow back
if part of it is cut off. In fact it can
regenerate if as little as 25%
of it is left remaining.
Pair that other 75% with some onions
fry it all up and you got yourself
a delicious, regenerating snack.
*noise of disgust* Actually I've never
tried liver and onions before,
that Doug episode scarred me for life.
But get this! Even our
fingers can grow back. Seriously,
if children get the tip of
their finger cut off, it's often
capable of fully regenerating.
Don't try that at home though.
Just might want to trust me on this one.
And the crazy thing is, it was generally thought that
we lost this ability between the ages of 7
and 11, but recent reports
from the last few years have shown
doctors regenerating the tips of fingers
in as little as FOUR weeks for adults
as old as Sixty!
And we're learning a lot from mice ,who
never lose the ability to grow back digits.
For this reason researchers at
New York University
chose to study what enabled mice to grow their fingers back.
What they discovered, was that stem cells
found underneath the finger nail and a family of protiens
called the WNT Signaling Network
Controlled fingertip regeneration. Stem cells are basically neutral cells.
You know how you have blood cells, skin cells, brain cells
These are called differenciated cells
because their structure is specialized for its function.
Say for instence a long arm and branches in nerve cells that help send electrical signals through the body and brain
Stem cells are the opposite waiting for direction from the body as to what sort of cell they should become
So by manipulating the WNT pathway in the mice researches where able to stimulate the stem cells to regenerate the bone and tissue beyond just fingertips.
They belive mastering the manipulation of this pathway is the answer to full limb regeneration in mammals.
NYU is not the only group working on this.
Another team of scientists at Tufts University
believe that even more regeneration questions
can be answered by looking at the electrical signals sent between cells.
One of animals they worked with
was the Xenopus Tadpole.
This tadpole has the ability to grow back its
tail if it's cut off in the first week of its life.
After that week though, it loses that ability.
By surgically altering
the way an older tadpole cells communicate
they were able to turn that regenerative ability back on
and a tadpole that shouldn't have been be able to grow back its tail did
and that was just the beginning
like the twisted scientist from south park
the Tufts teams been able to create flat worms with multiple heads,
grown working eyes on the bellies of tadpoles,
even proving that you can slice off a worms head regrow it and it still has its old memories
intact.
You heard that right;
it was decapitated, regrew its head,
and still had its original memories.
I wonder if the worm remembered scientists slicing off
its head. Jeez, science man ...
It gets dark sometimes.
And this isn't just a stupid worm;
its nervous system is actually closer to ours than you would think,
But probably the most impressive accomplishment
so far has been the regrowth of an amputated
frog's leg. Unlike the tadpole
that was capable of regeneration,
but later lost the ability,
the frog they were working with never had that regenerative ability in the first place,
just like humans.
And the leg is a much more complex body part,
so we are getting closer.
And recently this team has moved on to working with mammals.
Together, NYU and Tufts are unlocking the science
behind human regeneration, but even if they succeeded
in enabling humans to grow back organs and limbs,
it would still take months,
or even years for these tissues to fully form.
Call of Duty soldiers don't have that long to wait.
I mean, the magical bullet proof desk won't hold out forever now.
Well, actually it probably would
because of ... REASONS!
But we need to accelerate the healing process,
and that's where this guy comes in.
The Axolotl Salamander
Isn't he a cutie?
These guys are the Wolverines of the animal world.
Well, wolverines are the wolverines of the animal world,
but I mean, you get what I'm saying.
They have superhero like healing abilities, ok?
The Axolotl can regrow entire limbs in a matter of weeks.
How? Well, scientists know it has to do
with immune cells called Macrophages.
Humans have a similar set of cells in their body,
but these Macrophages behave differently when the
salamander is injured vs when we're injured.
So long story short, there's a lot of promising advances in this field,
but we're still working on it.
The moral of this little tour through regeneration research is that
humans have the biological mechanisms in place
to make it happen.
And well, yes regenerating health may be laughable
in the so called "Modern Warfare" games up to this point,
the new installment, Advanced Warfare,
set to take place in 2054,
40 years from now,
seems reasonable, and even if we are not at the point .
of full on rapid regeneration by that point,
there's always lab grown organs,
which are actually becoming pretty commonplace.
Much to the delight of doctors and Halloween home decorators
across the country.
Or, I suppose, we could always use a health pack.
Now, let's be honest here, the whole health pack
concept has never been much more
realistic than the COD regeneration.
Since when could a roll of gauze or a can of neosporin
instantly heal someone after they've been mauled
by a ravenous zombie dog?
OOOHHH I lost my arm here let me dab it with this
antiseptic moist towelette. It will be as good as new.
I don't think so. If you got shot, there is nothing in that
med kit that was going to get you back up on your feet
in seconds. Or at least there wasn't until this year. (2014)
The old X-Stat. The "X" stands for Extreme. (guitar riffs playing)
Actually I have no idea what the "X" stands for
but I thought extreme made it sound cooler.
It's a modified syringe that injects specially coated
sponges into a wound. The sponges are treated
with a substance that helps stop bleeding.
And as they soak up the blood they expand to
10 times their size, which plugs the wound
and stops all forms of bleeding
by exerting pressure from inside of the gunshot.
In 15 seconds, you're as good as new!
Well, in a manner of speaking.
You do still have a bullet inside your body and are probably in a lot of pain.
But hey, you're no longer at risk of bleeding out!
And this is brand new.
It was just approved by the FDA in April,
and has started to roll out to medics in the US Military.
But the best part of the story is that the creator
got the idea while wandering through a William Sonoma.
You know that overpriced kitchen store in the mall with free samples
like 20 percent of the time?
It's wild right? Now that I think about it,
the actual best part of this story is the fact that we now
have a better way to save the lives of our soldiers.
But the William Sonoma thing, that was a cool little tidbit.
Right? It was kinda funny.
So there you have it, video game healing
isn't quite as full of BS as we've all been assuming.
And at least for the time being, heath kits are
still superior to regenerating health.
So point to all you loyal DOOM, Unreal, and Duke Nukem
players out there.
Feel free to use that in your debates
as to why your games are so much better than COD.
At least for the next 30 years until regenerating health research catches up.
But HEY, That's JUST a THEORY. A GAME THEORY!
Thanks for watching!
Hey! You guys liked this last time so let's try it again.
An opportunity to feature a channel I think you guys might really enjoy.
This time I'm calling out Science Friction.
You know how some episodes of Game Theory are
dedicated to how video game logic applies to real life?
Or how real life science applies to gaming stuff?
(whispers) Kinda like this episode.
Well if you like those sorts of videos, Science Friction is for you.
Exploring all the science behind making you into a real life comic book superhero.
The host, Rusty, actually helped a lot with the research for this episode,
so a special thanks to him.
I recommend clicking here and then preparing to waste your afternoon
binge watching his stuff.
And there you have it that's all for today.
Now, If you'll excuse me, I need to infuse myself with lizard blood
and see if there's a way to score some samples at William Sonoma
Oh I'll eat your free food all right,
but don't you expect me to pay for it
cause that ain't never gonna happen.
7 bucks for a cup of hot cocoa ain't cuttin' it for me.
(smooth jazz outro)