12-11-2008, 10:43 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 579
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Boom times for brain training games
I don't like brain games, whenever I realize it's a game or faked problem, I immediately lose interest. I think it's wasting my brain. 
Quote:
Use your brain or lose it. That's the concern that's fueling a worldwide boom in brain fitness that shows few signs of slowing.
A slew of products, from games like Nintendo's Brain Age to more sophisticated computer-assisted software, are marketed at consumers worried about losing their mental sharpness.
The brain fitness software market has been growing at a dizzying pace. Worldwide revenue surged to $850 million last year, up from $250 million in 2005, according to SharpBrains, a company that tracks the mental fitness industry.
Recent evidence that mental exercises can be beneficial to the brain has helped the industry flourish. Although, researchers caution, the verdict is still out when it comes to the long-term effect of these programs on cognition.
"There is still a lot of work that needs to be done. There is no definitive consensus over whether these programs are as beneficial as people would like to think they are," says Dr. Mark Mapstone, associate professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
One of the most popular products is Nintendo's Brain Age (also known as Brain Training) -- a collection of simple exercises like math problems, memory tests and word puzzles. The launch of the program in 2005 kicked off the mental fitness craze in Japan. Have brain fitness programs worked for you?
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CNN: Boom times for brain training games
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