You Should Remember This Guy: An Ode To Dr Kawashima
Does your prefrontal-cortex feel a little out of whack?
Afraid that there is no hope in improving your mental speed? Have no fear! Dr.Kawashima’s Brain Training is here, to virtually whip your brain into tip-top shape, in just 20 minutes a day!
Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training, also known as Brain Age [In North America] first came about back in 2005. In an age where classics like Grand Theft Auto, Halo and Call of Duty reigned supreme, a quiet revolution was taking place: on the newly released Nintendo DS, a handheld console that was marketed to a younger demographic. But this wasn’t exclusively aimed at the very young [or the very old] this was a game that anyone could easily join in on.
Utilizing the DS's touchscreen, stylus and even the microphone, The game features a variety of puzzles, memory games, mathematical questions, sudoku puzzles, stroop tests and various other challenges that were designed to stimulate the brain. At the start of the game, users are faced with a series of tests that determine how old ones brain was. By performing daily 'exercises' over a few weeks, the better and lower your brain age [With 20 years old being the youngest and best] The more stimulation that was provided to multiple parts of the brain, the better with improving one’s abilities and staving off the mental effects of aging.
Based on the work of the Japanese neuroscientist, Ryuta Kawashima. In 2003, his book ‘Train Your Brain: 60 Days to a Better Brain’ was released to massive success, sparking interest from Nintendo, leading to the development of the game as we know it. Dr.Kawashima even appears as a memorable polygonal version of himself, guiding the user through the game.
Wildly successful upon release, it reached a combined total of 33 million units sold globally. The most recent edition was released for the Nintendo Switch, in 2019.
While the marketing of the game has often stated that it is designed to improve brain function, and studies have been done to show how the game has improved the memory of its users, Nintendo has refuted these claims.
