Brain Games |
Wednesday Jul 30 2008
An
overwhelming concern with mental fitness seems obvious from the
plethora of "brain games" geared to ‘older’ people. This fascination
with keeping our minds and our memories intact is admirable considering
that we will probably need our faculties for a lot longer than any
previous generation. From sudoku to crosswords, challenging video games
to virtual realities, we have many options to choose from. Each offers
different challenges for our key brain functions: concentration,
language, memory, logic/reasoning, and visual/spatial skills.
Two
assumptions underlie much of the research and development in the area
of online brain games for older adults: the idea that people over 40
will want to spend time regularly playing entertaining games over and
over again, and the idea that good mental health can be promoted by
including fun, engaging brain activities in front of the computer into
our daily lives. For example, some of the most popular online games
geared to graying boomers and seniors include Nintendo’s Brain Age 2 and Electronic Art’s Pogo. Not to forget the myriad brain teasers, crossword puzzles, memory enhancers and quizzes available online.
Gene Cohen, in his book The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain,
notes that the type and frequency of leisure activities you pursue
affect your brain fitness. Studies into the risk of dementia or
cognitive decline reported in the 2003 New England Journal of Medicine found that the most effective ‘brain fitness’ activities are:
• Dancing
• Playing board games
• Playing a musical instrument
• Doing crossword puzzles
• Reading
Brian
Christie, a senior scholar of medical sciences at the University of
Victoria, doesn't believe that video games in particular have proven
themselves to be cognitive enhancers. He was recently quoted in the Vancouver Sun
as having said that the benefits of leading an active life, through
exercise and socializing, achieve dramatically better results. As well,
there is little evidence to prove that people who play video games
actually transfer any improvements in their abilities to other areas of
their lives.
I suppose, when I find the time to play an online
video game, I may find it engaging and stimulating. However, for the
time being, I am choosing to spend my time reading, exercising and
socializing—being physically, intellectually and socially active—while
I can. Perhaps, one day, when I can no longer be physically engaged in
the ‘real’ world, I may choose differently. For now, I leave the
virtual games to my intellectual superiors, while I dive into my next
summer book and make plans for a hike.
To each their own, as they say!
Tagged with: brain dementia game leisure video_games
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