Brain Age

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Brain Age
Brain Age logo.png
North American logo
Genre(s) Puzzle, edutainment
Developer(s) Nintendo SPD (2005–2012)
Nintendo EPD (since 2019)
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Platform(s) Nintendo DS, DSiWare, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch
First release Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
May 19, 2005
Latest release Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch
December 27, 2019

Brain Age, known as Dr Kawashima's Brain Training in PAL regions, [lower-alpha 1] is a series of video games developed and published by Nintendo, based on the work of Ryuta Kawashima.

Contents

Games

Release timeline
2005 Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!
2006–2007
2008 Brain Age Express
2009–2011
2012 Brain Age: Concentration Training
2013–2018
2019 Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch

The Brain Age games, known as Brain Training in Japan and Europe, are presented as a set of mini-games that are designed to help improve one's mental processes. These activities were informed by Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, a Japanese neuroscientist, and are aimed to stimulate multiple parts of the brain to help improve one's abilities and combat normal aging effects on the brain. Activities are generally based on two or more mental stimuli and are to be completed as fast and as correctly as possible. For example, common activities include Calculations, where the user is presented with a list of single-operator math operations and the user uses the system's touch screen to write their answer to each question, and Stroop Test based on the Stroop effect, where players must say into the unit's microphone the color of the text of a color name that appears on the screen. Activities are usually presented in both a Training mode, which allows the user to practice to get the hang of how the activities are played out and a Brain Age Check, where the user completes multiple activities outside of practice, with the game estimating the person's "brain age" based on how quickly they completed all the tests and accounting for any incorrect answers. The game tracks a user's performance over time to help show the effects of daily interactions with the game.

Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!

Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!

Brain Age Express

Brain Age: Concentration Training

Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch

A new Brain Age title for the Nintendo Switch, titled Nō o Kitaeru Otona no Nintendo Switch Training (脳を鍛える大人のNintendo Switchトレーニング, lit. Nintendo Switch Brain Training for Adults), and as Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch for Europe and Australia, was released in Japan on December 27, 2019, and was released in Europe and Australia on January 3, 2020. The game uses some of the new features of the Switch, including the gyroscope and infrared camera in the Joy-Con units, as part of the input into the activities, alongside other returning training activities. A Switch-compatible stylus was also released that day in Japan to support some of those activities. [1] [2] [3]

Common elements

Mathematics

A DSiWare version titled Brain Age Express: Math was released in North America on April 5, 2009, and in the PAL regions on June 19, 2009. As of March 27th 2023, the game is currently no longer avaliable for download due to the closure of the 3DS eShop, as well as the DSi shop in 2017 where the game was originally avaliable. [4]

Arts & Letters

A DSiWare version titled Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters was released in North America on August 10, 2009. Much like the Math version of the game, as of March 27th 2023, the game is currently no longer avaliable for download due to the closure of the 3DS eShop, as well as the DSi shop in 2017 where the game was originally avaliable.

Sudoku

The North American, European and Korean versions of the first two Brain Age titles featured a Sudoku mode. The player can choose between two modes of play – with notification, or without. When played with notification, the game allows the player to miss only five times before the puzzle is automatically ended before completion. Each miss results in a 20-minute penalty which is added to the player's time. Additionally, if the best time for a puzzle was achieved with notification, the game will make note of that next to the best time.

The majority of the puzzle takes place on the touch screen, which displays the entire Sudoku puzzle. The player must first tap on the square he wishes to fill in, and the touch screen will show a zoomed-in image of that square while the other screen shows a zoomed out version of the puzzle. While zoomed in, you are able to move to another square next to it by using one of the arrows. To fill in a square, the player must handwrite the number using the stylus. Once the number is written and the player moves on from that square, it will be converted into a cleaner version of the number.

Brain Age also takes advantage of a strategy used in pen and paper Sudoku puzzles, in which the person marks which squares a number could possibly be by writing a miniature number. There are also four options at the player's disposal – Undo, Erase, Zoom Out, and Save & Quit. Undo allows the player to revert the latest change in the puzzle, Erase allows the player to erase everything in one square (alternatively, the player can circle just one number to erase it), Zoom Out is used to go back to a zoomed-out view after the player has zoomed in on a square, and Save & Quit allows the player to do a quick save and quit the puzzle, which is erased once the player resumes.

A DSiWare version of this game entitled Brain Age Express: Sudoku was released in the PAL regions on July 24, 2009, and in North America on August 17, 2009., [5] but it was retired from the DSi Shop on June 19, 2015.

Sales

The first two games in the series reached a combined total of 33 million units sold globally. [6]

Other media

A book based on Kawashima's work was released, titled Train Your Brain: 60 Days to a Better Brain .

Body and Brain Connection , also known as Dr. Kawashima's Body and Brain Exercises in PAL regions, is a puzzle video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360's Kinect platform. It was released in 2010. The player is guided through the brain age tests by Ryuta Kawashima.

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Nou wo Kitaeru Otona no Training (Japanese: 脳を鍛える大人のトレーニング, lit. "Brain Training for Adults").

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Ryuta Kawashima is a Japanese neuroscientist known for his appearances in the Brain Age series of video games for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch.

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<i>Brain Age: Concentration Training</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Brain Age: Concentration Training, known in Europe and Australia as Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training: Can you stay focused?, is an educational puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo. It is the fourth major entry in the Brain Age series and the first made specifically for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released in Japan on July 28, 2012, in North America on February 10, 2013, and in South Korea on September 5, 2013. It later came to Europe on July 28, 2017, and Australia on July 29, 2017, five years apart from the initial release. Dr. Kawashima presents the game's purpose as being to counter prevalent subpar concentration skills onset by social media and other aspects of modern life.

<i>Dr Kawashimas Brain Training for Nintendo Switch</i> 2019 video game

Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch is an edutainment puzzle video game developed by Nintendo and indieszero and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth entry in the Brain Age puzzle video game series, based on the research of neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima, whose avatar guides the player through the game. It was released on December 27, 2019 in Japan, January 3, 2020 in Europe and Australia, and July 1, 2020 in South Korea. Unusually, it was not released in North America.

References

  1. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (September 30, 2019). "Nintendo announces Brain Training for Switch". Eurogamer . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  2. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (September 30, 2019). "Nintendo is bringing back Brain Age for Switch". Polygon . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  3. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (October 11, 2019). "Nintendo Switch Brain Age followup gets January launch in Europe". Venture Beat . Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Six Nintendo DSiWare Titles, One WiiWare Game and One Virtual Console Game Added to Shop Channels". Nintendo of America. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  5. ↑ "Fun Keeps Popping Up, From Slot Cars to Rock Stars, Sudoku to Ninjutsu". Nintendo of America. 2009-08-17. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
  6. ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (October 1, 2019). "Nintendo is bringing Brain Training to the Switch". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved October 1, 2019.
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