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Nintendo Keeps Wits and Reflexes Sharp

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the i've-always-thought-so dept.

PreacherTom writes "While not definitively proven, the concept that video games can stave off mental degradation in the elderly is gaining favor. 'Nintendo ... boast[s] that Brain Age was developed with the help of Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, a respected Japanese neuroscientist whose face pops up at the start of every game. Kawashima believes brains can be kept young and nimble through the rapid repetition of simple mental challenges. The game is wildly popular in Japan, and 4 million copies have been sold worldwide since Brain Age was introduced 15 months ago.'"

3 of 73 comments (clear)

  1. NO-FRIEND-O by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Kawashima believes brains can be kept young and nimble through the rapid repetition of simple mental challenges.

    Yeah, "young and nimble". Just like the brains of children who do two to three hours of busy work per night. NO THANKS, NO-FRIEND-O.

  2. Re:Eh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    im just a non-registered person here, but MOD PARENT UP.
    zonk makes 4 posts a week:

    1. pro-nintendo
    2. anti-sony
    3. pro-WoW
    4. X is doomed/dying

  3. Well I think that's crap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    That's crap. Don't keep your brain involved in repetitive tasks (like Brain Training's Sudoku). Otherwise, it will become a machine highly fluent in that operation, but others will degrade. Solving puzzles, etc., will only condition your brain to logical, uncreative thinking.

    I don't have a degree in neurosurgery, but this is how things are. I mean, the guy is just a professional in his field, not a particularly creative person.