Angry moose charged at his sister — then the 12-year-old boy remembered a 'video game trick' to save her life

This is an inspirational story for parents who are worried about their kids spending too much time on video games. A 12-year-old Norwegian boy saved his sister from a moose attack using a skill he learned from playing "World of Warcraft." Next Nature got hold of Hans Jørgen Olsen to talk about the terrifying experience and the skills he learned from playing video games.

The 'taunting' tactic

Hans and his sister were walking in the woods near their house when they wandered into a moose's territory. Feeling threatened, the moose charged right at them, and it could have ended badly. But Hans used a tactic called "taunting," which he learned from World of Warcraft, to distract the moose, and it worked perfectly, allowing his sister to escape. The media outlet wanted to know if "taunting" a moose in real life was any different from playing the move in a game. Hans expressed that he was afraid of what would happen next, but had no other choice, "Animals are highly unpredictable. It was a high gamble. I could have tried to run, but I might have been trampled. I was really hoping my plan would work since moose are herbivores."

Video games taught him Math

Hans opened up about how video games have taught him several real-life skills. "There’s a lot of math in games. It’s helped me with budgeting and understanding how markets work, thanks to in-game marketplaces and auction houses," he said. For Hans, video games were not just a means of entertainment and fun but also an educational tool. He believed, "Games are an amazing way to learn languages, cooperation, math, and even art with VR (Virtual Reality)." Although I haven’t tried VR yet, I’m excited about its future possibilities."

Screen time pays off

While parents may have thought their children's video game time encroached on their actual study time, results from a K12 survey suggested otherwise. The national survey was conducted on a group of parents and working individuals to understand the impact of childhood gaming on their adult careers. Results showed that 53% of the working professionals said their childhood gaming experience helped them build skills that improved their career.

By playing video games, they learned problem-solving skills (66%) and strategic thinking (63%). 44% of the respondents have used a skill they learned from a video game in real life. In Hans' situation, his gaming instincts helped him save his sister's life, proving once again that video games can sometimes teach valuable real-life skills that go beyond the screen.

His advice for other gamers

Although the encounter did not drastically change his life, it taught him an important lesson: "Stay the h*ll away from an enraged moose." Hans also shared some advice for video gamers: "Do your best, learn as much as possible, and don’t take verbal attacks from others online to heart. Just take a deep breath and play your best because you won’t perform well if your mind is clouded. And most importantly, have fun." He stopped playing "World of Warcraft" a few years ago, but still enjoyed playing "Elden Ring," "Toxic League," and "Valheim."

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