Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! , also known as Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? in PAL regions, is an entertainment video game that employs puzzles. It was developed and published by the video gaming company Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. Nintendo has been careful not to claim the game has been scientifically validated, however stating that it is an 'entertainment product "inspired" by Dr. Kawashima's work' in the neurosciences.
It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America, Europe, Australia, and South Korea. It was followed by a sequel titled Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! , and was later followed by two redesigns and Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare service which uses popular puzzles from these titles as well as several new puzzles.
Brain Age features a variety of puzzles, including stroop tests, mathematical questions, and Sudoku puzzles, all designed to help keep certain parts of the brain active. It was included in the Touch! Generations series of video games, a series which features games for a more casual gaming audience. Brain Age uses the touch screen and microphone for many puzzles. There has been controversy over the game's scientific effectiveness.
Gameplay
Brain Age is designed to be played a little each day, similar to the Nintendogs titles and Animal Crossing: Wild World . The Nintendo DS is held on its side, with the touch screen on the right for right-handed people and the left for left-handed people. The game is entirely touch and voice-controlled – the player either writes the answer to the puzzle on the touch screen or speaks it into the microphone. Before the player can begin a Brain Age session, he or she must input information. First, players must confirm the date and select which hand they write with. The player then inputs his or her name and date of birth.
At the end of all Brain Age Check puzzles, Training puzzles, Quick Play puzzles, and Sudoku puzzles, the player is shown how quickly he or she completed it, the player's speed (according to metaphors such as "bicycle speed" and "jet speed", the highest being "rocket speed"), and a tip for either improving the player's brain or a game-related tip. If the player's time or score in Brain Age Check or Training is high enough, it will appear on one or both of the Top Three. The Top Three shown is the player's own top three attempts at a puzzle, while he or she can also compare the top three with those of other saved players.
While the player is navigating the menus outside of the puzzles, Professor Kawashima appears to prompt and encourage the user. Brain Age allows up to four players to save profiles on one DS game card, and these players can interact with each other in several different ways. There are five modes of play – Brain Age Check, Training, Quick Play, Download, and Sudoku.
When starting a session, Kawashima may ask the player to participate in a Picture-Drawing Quiz, which requires the player to draw a person, place, or thing by memory using the touch screen. After the player has done all three, the game will compare his or her drawing to an example created by the game developers, along with advice of what to emphasize on below its image. If more than one player profile is saved on the game card, images for the day can be compared to those of other players.
Kawashima may also ask the player to participate in a Memory Quiz, which requires the player to recall a recent event, such as what the player ate or the most interesting thing you saw on television the day before. Several days later, it will ask for the answer you provided, and will then compare the answer given several days ago and the answer given on the current day to test your recollection skills. The player is not scored on his or her ability to remember. The purpose of these tasks is to help the player improve his or her recollection.
Brain Age Check
The game includes four modes: Brain Age Check, Training, Quick Play, and Sudoku. The Brain Age Check gives the player three puzzles to complete. The first is usually a Stroop test, although the player can choose to skip the Stroop test if he or she is not in a quiet environment or is otherwise unable to speak into the microphone. At the end of the Brain Age Check, the game reports on the players "brain age", a theoretical assessment of the age of the player's brain. The higher the brain age, the worse the player performed. The best possible score is 20, according with Kawashima's theory that the brain stops developing at 20. The player may replay the Brain Age Check, but it will not change the brain age for the day.
Once the player confirms whether or not he or she can speak into the microphone, Professor Kawashima will describe the first puzzle. If the player answered that he can speak, the game begins with a Stroop test; if the player cannot use the microphone, the game picks a random puzzle from the following: Calculations X 20, Word Memory, Connect Maze, Number Cruncher, and Speed Counting.
During the Stroop Test , the game will display one of four words: blue, black, yellow, and red. A random word will appear on screen, one after another, each appearing in a random color (which may not match the color denoted by the word). The player is instructed to say the color of the word, rather than its semantic meaning (e.g., if the word Yellow appears in blue letters, the player should say "blue" – see Stroop effect for details).
In Speed Counting , which requires speaking but does not use the microphone, the player counts up from one to 120 as fast as he can without slurring the names of numbers.
Word Memory gives the player a list of 30 four-letter words. The player is given two minutes to study the list and memorize as many words as possible. After this two minutes is up, the player must write down as many words as he or she can in three minutes. Another puzzle called Connect Maze gives players a randomly created group of circles, with letters and numbers in them. There is one circle for every letter in "A" through "M", as well as a circle for every number from 1 to 13. The player must then connect a line between a letter and a number, starting with "A". The player must connect the letter "A" to the number one, and then connect it to the letter "B" and then the number two, and so on until the player reaches 13.
Calculations X 20 presents the player with 20 mathematical equations, including addition, subtraction, and multiplication. On the top screen are the questions, which scroll up as they are answered (whether correctly or incorrectly), while the touch screen is used to write out the answer.
In Number Cruncher , the player is presented with a series of screens displaying several numbers, which vary in their appearance and on-screen behavior. For instance, a screen may display five blue numbers, three red numbers, and one moving yellow number, and above it is a question, such as "how many blue numbers are there?", which the player must answer as quickly and accurately as possible.
Training
The Training mode allows the player to play a variety of puzzles, with all but one of the puzzles being exclusive to the Training mode. Once the player completes at least one puzzle, Kawashima awards him or her with a stamp, which he places on the current date. If the player places at least three puzzles, the stamp will expand in size. After accumulating a certain number of stamps, Kawashima will award him or her with a new puzzle, difficulty mode, or additional feature under the Options menu. Each puzzle can be played as many times as the player likes, although only the first play-through of the day will count in the graph for that puzzle.
Puzzles
There are nine puzzles in Training mode:
1. Calculations X 20 which is the same as the one found in the Brain Age Check. One question will appear on the top screen, and the player must hand-write the answer on the touch screen. There are a total of 20 questions, including addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
2. Calculations X 100 , which is the same as Calculations X 20, although with 100 questions instead of 20. It features a Hard mode, which has the same mechanics but adds division problems.
3, Reading Aloud , which gives the player an excerpt from a classic story such as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow or Little Women , and tasks the player with reading the story aloud to see how quickly he or she can do it. The player progresses through the excerpt by pushing Next, until he or she reaches the end of the excerpt. If the player pushes Next too quickly, the puzzle will end prematurely.
4. Low to High features several boxes on both screens, each in the same pattern as each other. The game will count down at varying speeds, and when it hits zero, numbers will appear in these boxes for a short period of time. Afterwards, the player must touch the boxes on the touch screen from lowest number to highest by memorizing the numbers on the top screen. Afterwards, the game will introduce one puzzle after the other in a similar fashion. The quantity of boxes to memorize increases after each correct a
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