Call Me A Gamer…Review of the Nintendo DS Brain Age

At first I was appalled by my roommate's game that proposed I had a brain age of 80 (the worst you could possibly get) after presenting me with a single stroop test during which the machine had a hard time picking up my voice and I proceeded to scream "BLUE, BLUE, BLUE". A maleficient man, the Japanese neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, by whom the game was inspired, trash talked me with insults.

However, since that time I have been won over. The game suggests that it can strengthen your brain, particularly your prefrontal cortex, through many activities including math fluency problems, drawing pictures, and counting syllables. Dr. Kawashima provides stellar tips such as eating breakfast is good and communication with others is good. A tip that I happened to particularly aggree with was that while cell phones and email have made our life convenient, we must SEIZE every opportunity for direct conversation. The trash talker also suggests reading signs out loud that you encournter along life’s way. While this might be good for your prefrontal cortex, I can’t imagine it would strengthen your social life. In all seriousness, the activities are pretty entertaining and I have been successful in decreasing my brain age to 25, much closer to the ultimate best brain age of 20. Someday, Ryuta, someday...

I am currently poling for each person in our office to get a Nintendo DS with Brain Age game in order to aid us in becoming quicker and more efficient in our occupational duties. Surely, if our prefrontal cortex grows, our work will be enhanced by leaps and bounds. To which my boss replies, “Write a grant.”