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DS Game Could Stave off Dementia
Gamasutra reports that a hospital in Japan has begun renting out DSes and suggesting the title Brain Training to older patients, in an effort to stave off dementia. From the article: "Sixty-seven year old retiree Isamu Shishido is quoted as saying, 'I don't want to end up some crazy old man. I want to play a little everyday before going to bed.' Neurosurgeon Dr Takeshi Kihara comments that, 'The game won't cure dementia. But it's a good form of stimulation, especially for old people living alone.'"
Nintendo knows what it's doing. Lots of rich oldies to tap into!
I, for one, welcome our better, faster, stronger elderly overlords.
...bingo because 90% of the population of Britain over 65 seems to play that and they have the intellectual capacity of a turnip. Old people in Britain are very depressing. They seem to be trained, from birth, to believe that they will be incapable by time they retire and when the time comes to retire they are capable of nothing. One of the things that amazed me when I came to the US was the zest for life of older people. Jogging along the roads, working out at the gym, hiking the trails, doing tai chi, travelling round the world, having fun eating out at restaurants, at the movies, whatever. It's fantastic if video games can keep people motivated to do something with their lives and keep stretching those neurons and I hope it catches on in Britain.
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It's too bad there aren't any screenshots or further info. This game sounds quite interesting to me. I wonder if/when it will make its North American debut...
Unplug all controller for great reset!!
Don't purchase survival horror games. Results might be counterproductive. This is SPECIALLY true if the hospital you're in is called "Brookhaven Hospital" :P
"The goddamned Metroids won't stay still so I can hit them with my fricken ice beam! Gah! I guess I'll just cyber with your gramma instead."
Whoa, hang on a minute. I really think your statistics are baseless. I would contend that there is a very large body of older and retired people who lead very active lives in the UK, doing all the things you mention of the US inhabitants, and more. Yes, of course there are some older people who have started to find it difficult to do as much as they would like, or for whatever reason have drawn themselves into their shells and do little but watch TV and play bingo, but to extrapolate from this that 90% of the UK's older population has the intellectual capacity of a turnip is a little extreme. Am I to infer that because a large percentage of people under the age of twenty eat regularly at McBurgers and the like, hardly a sensible lifestyle choice,that 90% of all younger people have the brain capacity of a turnip as well?
"One of the things that amazed me when I came to the US was the zest for life of older people. Jogging along the roads, working out at the gym, hiking the trails, doing tai chi, travelling round the world, having fun eating out at restaurants, at the movies, whatever."
Apparently you didn't see the all the older people in the US languishing at home watching television making no effort to get out in public. In the US, you only see the active seniors out and about.
I'd be willing to bet that if you observed seniors in the US the same way you observed them in the UK, you have opinions of them just as bad, if not worse. Especially if you got out of the major metros in the US.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Might not be the best solution for older people, IMHO.
However, playing a game that exercises your mind, is probably more helpful than watching the local TV news, which is mostly soundbites designed to invoke fear about things one can do little about.
I've noticed that many Japanese games not released in this country are more puzzle-oriented, less FPS, and hopefully other ones could be ported to US/EU versions.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Hell, I live in the UK and went to play Bingo a couple of times not so long ago (long story, not interesting, let's leave it at that) and I tell you, those grannies (I don't think there was a single grandpa in the place) must be popping some serious amphetamines.
The speed they were calling out the numbers was too much for me - a young and agile 33 year old - and I was only playing four cards. Some of them were playing a dozen or more at once!
By the time she's bought the necessary drugs and paid for their bingo cards, it's no wonder grandma can't afford to eat on what little pension she gets.
in Hong Kong, and most other parts of China, most old people kill time with Mahjong, which IMO is a great brain-exercise. it's a great way for old people to socialise as well.
Thank you! Apparently nobody has a sense of humor anymore on Slashdot.
-Dipster
...yes.
It's another entirely to say, out of the blue, "If the Bible has taught anything, and it hasn't, it's that old people are worthless and that they should spend their remaining days watching the Price is Right, yelling at kids who are on their lawns, eating at the Sizzler, and such and such."
That's just not funny and really, it's just plain dumb.
:wq!
Roger Mellie
Speaker to turnips.
I'm a turnip, you insensitive clod!
There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.
I think the relative strength of the British and American health system has a lot to do with this.
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
Yes it is, and really, no it's not.
This has been reviewed on IGN and G4TV, among others... way back in 2005.
And it's not your average game. More like math and reading "brain teasers" (no Mario involved).
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Because they can't really afford to do anything else, especially if they are dependent on the state pension, and are forced to choose between heating and eating.
UK companies don't seem to want to employ anyone over the age of 45 (or even 30 for that matter). The only difference between the early retirees in their mid-50's and the "benefits scroungers" is that the first set had generous company pension schemes, and the latter didn't.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
Maybe a "Hey! You Kids Get Off My Lawn!" game?
(For the record, I enjoy the neighbors' kids playing on my lawn.)