Nintendo of America recently demoed their game, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
at a recent AARP convention, of all places. Many people consider playing video games a kids’ activity, but soon people might be thinking of getting grandpa and grandma video games when it comes to Christmas time. How so? As this Time magazine article (January 3) indicates., gaming companies are looking to tap into the baby-boomer generation as a largely untapped (and potentially lucrative) market that might be interested in products claiming to help sharpen memory and cognitive ability. A game based off a Japanese neuroscientist’s research, Brain Age features a host of quick memory, math, logic puzzles, and other kinds of activities that are intended to sharpen one’s mind. The game has easily sold well over half a million copies since its U.S. release for the Nintendo DS handheld system in April.
Can brain games stave off senility? Hard to say, as little research exists as of yet. But it’s interesting to see games (and educational games) continue to reach a wider audience. Brain Age is a product of Touch Generations, makers of other educational games such as Big Brain Academy.
No comments yet.