3 replies to this topic

[emerson]

I was wondering if anyone had put much time into using the brain age game. I saw a video of it recently, and I have to admit that it did look almost perversely entertaining. I have little doubt that using it would also give one the feeling of improvement on the skills it claims to enhance. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who's used it for a while what effect they've seen it have on similar problem solving tasks within everyday life. Math skills improved, memory risen up a bit, ability to instantly gauge the popularity of a night club gone up into the bajilliontififties. Generally, anyone have some scientifically worthless but nevertheless entertaining reports of extended use of brain age? I'm assuming there's never been any actual studies done, but I'd love to hear that guess proved wrong as well. Google didn't prove to be much help, one way or another, in that aspect.

Aside from curiosity, one of the main reasons I'm asking is that I'm working on getting a new programming language and platform down. The best way I've found to do that is to have a mid-size coding project involving both new aspects, which I personally would like to use. So I thought writing a game similar to brain age, combined with my own learning preferences or even a scriptable plugin system if I'm feeling overly productive, might be a possibility. Most especially if people have seen some benefit coming as a result of the DS game.

Edited by emerson, 20 June 2006 - 08:14 PM.

[Centurion]

OK I have bought brain age, my brain age is 84 apparently according to read aloud. :(
It never recognises my accent though every time I say yellow! I'll keep you informed as to how it goes

[emerson]

It never recognises my accent though every time I say yellow! I'll keep you informed as to how it goes

I broke down and bought it as well. It has a tiny bit of trouble with my voice, and a lot with recognising my numerals. My wife on the other hand breezes right on through them all. I'm getting better with both the tasks, and adapting my writing to the expected style though. And I have to say, it's one addictive little game. It 'seems' like the exercises would offer up improvement in other tasks of life. Really a pity there's no studies on it. And that I'm too lazy, or too pressed on time, to set up some measures to at least hint as to whether it's doing so for me.

Edited by emerson, 24 June 2006 - 10:49 AM.

[emerson]

So far, I can at least confirm my basic math skills have gone up considerably. Both the speed and the accuracy have shot up at a pretty fast pace. It's funny how fuzzy old skills can get with lack of use, and a ready supply of calculating devices.

The other huge improvement I've seen is in my ability to glare with fury as I scrawl unrecognised words to memorization exercises that I'd otherwise be acing. My wife is just the slightest bit of an accent away from the generic Midwestern American, and it's enough to give a similar predictable rejection of any use of the word "blue".

It's an awesome game, and well worth the price of it and a DS to play it on. But the value would be increased by a pretty large margin if the character recognition was just a little better. I sympathize with the difficulties involved in writing those, but I'd think the least they could have done was include an option to erase individual letters within a word to keep one from having to write it all over again from the beginning.

Edited by emerson, 27 June 2006 - 11:17 AM.