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February 26, 2009

Nintendo Brain Training doesn't work, says Which

Study disproves memory improvement claims

Oliver Garnham

Nintendo's Brain Training game is no more capable at protecting against memory loss than surfing the web, according to a study commissioned by Which?.

Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for the popular Nintendo DS portable console encourages users to perform mental arithmetic and language tests and can "help you train your brain in just a few minutes a day", according to Nintendo's website.

But Which? said scientists examining the claim that it can improve your memory found that there was no evidence that it can achieve "any functional impact on your life whatsoever".

Which? Editor Martyn Hocking said: "If people enjoy using these games, then they should continue to do so - that's a no-brainer. But if people are under the illusion that these devices are scientifically proven to keep their minds in shape, they need to think again."

Brain Training, promoted by the likes of Nicole Kidman, Patrick Stewart and Julie Walters, has sold more than 90m units worldwide since, and a new version of the game for Nintendo's second-generation DSi console is set for release in April.

However, the title was not the only brain training game highlighted by Which? researchers as failing to live up to its billing. The magazine said similarly weak evidence was found by experts for claims made by Mindfit by Mindweavers, Test and Improve Your Memory by Focus Multimedia, Lumosity by Lumos Labs and Mind Spa by A/V Stim.

Click below to see the Nintendo DS-i in action on PCA TV:

Nintendo DS-i video

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Comments received


kensal said on Thursday, 26 February 2009

just another ploy from nintendo to falsly lead the gullible public down the garden path..and in typical fashion they fall for it.

MalcolmF said on Thursday, 26 February 2009

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. The big trick is knowing the true value of "some".

uk said on Thursday, 26 February 2009

hmm well i think as a game on the Wii its fun etc and it does speed up your thinking as you do get quicker and improve so it may not be a cure for bad memory but its fun and does make you react quicker.

chris said on Friday, 27 February 2009

it's kinda like an illusion to make us think it's helping.. we get better at the mind games on the brain training as we get used to them, therefore we believe our mind is performing better than previously but if presented with an unseen challenge, we'll stumble just as much

Martin said on Friday, 27 February 2009

A broad Scottish study last year proved that Nintendo brain games did have an impact of brain function.

There's so much science now that shows the brain changes with the right stimulation these negative reports about brain training games should really be more balanced.

A well-regarded study on Improving Fluid Intelligence by Training Working Memory (PNAS April 2008) recorded increases in mental agility (fluid intelligence) of more than 40% after 19 days of focused brain training.

I was so impressed that my company developed a software program using the same method so that anyone can achieve these improvements at home.
(Mind Sparke Brain Fitness Pro)

Martin
www.mindsparke.com
Effective, Affordable Brain Training Software

markh said on Thursday, 19 March 2009

I have played these Brain Trainer DS games for a couple of months now and enjoy them. The claims of memory improvement may be subjective, but feel i my thinking and reactions am benefitting from the daily exercises...its a past time, harmless and we should not get too deep into the subject!

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