Brain Age 2 (and why Nintendo is great)

I first tried the game “Brain Age 2″ for Nintendo DS when someone I know got it for Christmas. I don’t really play video games that much anymore, but this is a whole different aminal.

The game reputedly trains your brain and exercises it (which is supposed to help prevent Alzheimer’s and keep your brain young). And from what I’ve experienced, it’s TOTALLY TRUE.

You know when you try to think or concentrate really really really hard….and your head starts to hurt, kind of? According to Dr. Kawashima who did the research this game is based on, that’s a sign of increased bloodflow to the brain (which is the brain equivalent of stretching your muscles).

I haven’t done any math type things since high school. So when Brain Age hits me with serial subtraction, it really takes a lot of thinking when I don’t have paper handy. And after a few exercises on it, I can really notice my head feeling different after all the hard thinking and concentrating. I’m glad I got this game, because otherwise I don’t think I’d be able to use the math part of my brain….except when figuring out how long I have to take naps…or write in my blog

What’s more fun is that the game tracks your progress thru a brain “age” (hence the title), where 20 is the best. It’s like Wii Sports in that regard (which gives you a fitness age). I APPLAUD NINTENDO and Shigeru Miyamoto (a.k.a. “god” to some gamers), who came up with the concept for these games.

Nintendo, unlike Microsoft and Sony, survives in the market on video games alone. Not only that, with the DS and the Wii they came up with new, exciting, and INTUITIVE interfaces that allow for new ways of play that are fun for both gamers and non-gamers of all ages. Hasn’t it always been everyone’s dream to have lightgun-like virtual reality games in your own home? The Wii. Genius.

Aesthetically, these two recent consoles also are simple, modern, and sleek.

Plus, the DS costs less than the PSP (which initially had issues with dead pixels, etc.) and though it lacks the movie feature and some other things, it’s still a solid system for those who like its type of gameplay. And it’s backwards compatible with GBA games! Backwards-compatibility was always an issue for nintendo, but the Wii does have a feature where you can purchase old game thru their internet and play them (not true backwards compatibility, but it’s a nice idea and it makes money for them).

Cost is also a strong point for the Wii, which beats both the PS3 and the Xbox 360.

Okay, so neither console has the graphics or features of the others. ***Braces self for hardcore gamers flooding the comments on the post*** Well, hey, I used to be a hardcore gamer and I was SONY all the way. I thought for sure I’d get a PSP and PS3 when the time came. Then I got hooked on Animal Crossing and bought a DS Lite. I’m now off Animal Crossing (thank god….it’s basically VIDEO CRACK), but I still love my DS.

But back to our topic. Nintendo has developed some great “competitive enhancement” games such as Wii Fitness, Wii Sports, and Brain Age (yes, the multiplayer capabilities are awesome!). Also, these games (and Animal Crossing) help alleviate problems of “too much time playing video games” – they are mostly designed so that you play a little bit each day (or get tired playing), a great idea for busy people or kids who play too much.

I saw there’s a new DS game out that teaches you magic tricks, I believe it’s called “Master of Illusions.” This got me thinking… the DS and/or Wii could be used for so many teaching-like applications. The DS’s pen tool is especially handy – I hear that in Japan there are kanji (character) writing games (need to get one!). It also has the microphone, so they could theoretically develop a language speaking and writing game, even for non-roman-alphabet-based languages such as Korean, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, etc. What if there were programs for the DS that utilised its portability such as field guides? All you’d need are a few cards, and you’d have instant access to birds, trees, or what have you. You could even have a field guide with birds’ calls so you could play them to attract birds. The DS could also be used to store courses on various subject matter – you could pick up and play anywhere, working through various lessons and completing exercises based on them. It’s far less bulky than a book and pencil.

So, the possibilities are (almost) endless. It’s really exciting to see the definition of “video game” expanding to include all types of stuff and to see our consoles used for things other than what was traditionally called “gaming,” as well as for activities that benefit more than just hand-eye coordination and reaction time.

-Recca 5/14/08