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New Video Game Exercises Brain, not Thumbs
Don't be surprised if you catch grandma playing your Nintendo DS soon! A new game, Brain Age, aims to help the elderly increase mental fitness.
Unlike more traditional Nintendo games, Brain Age exercises the front part of the brain, called the frontal lobes. This is the part of the brain that controls memory and learning. This is especially important for senior citizens. Aging bodies mean aging brains. In many older people, brain functions, such as memory, don't work as well as when they were younger.
You know that saying "use it or lose it?" Well, this is true for both your body and your mind. Just like your muscles your mind can be strengthened with exercise. A Japanese scientist realized this and discovered that certain games are great brain exercises. These games are the inspiration for Brain Age, which has sold over 600,000 copies in Japan.
Grandma can play Brain Age on the Nintendo DS. Activities include solving math problems and other puzzles, drawing pictures, and reading literature. Brain Age also has voice recognition software so users can say answers aloud. Using the game, people can track their "Brain Age" over time. This way, they can tell if their brains are getting any "younger" or "fitter".
I'm Isaac and that's what happened in arts and tech this week.
Be sure to test your own mental fitness with this week's Just the Facts game!
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