Study: Nintendo brain games don't make the grade

Nintendo's brain games may not help put your kid on the Nobel Prize track after all, according to one professor who put the titles to the test.

Can the mind-bending activities in games like Big Brain Academy make you smarter? The debate continues.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Alain Lieury, a professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Rennes in Brittany, France, surveyed a group of 10-year-olds and concluded that homework, reading, or playing Scrabble or sudoku produced benefits that matched or beat the supposed memory-enhancing properties of such titles as Big Brain Academy, Brain Training, and Brain Age.

The latter game contains several types of puzzle challenges designed to stimulate and keep the gray matter "young" and sharp.

"The Nintendo DS is a technological jewel. As a game it's fine," the Times Online quotes Lieury as saying. "But it is charlatanism to claim that it is a scientific test."

Lieury, a memory specialist, split 67 10-year-olds into four groups, according to the Times Online. The first two took part in a seven-week memory course on a Nintendo DS game console, the third did puzzles with pencils and paper, and the fourth went to school as usual.

Before and after the course, the kids were given tasks including logic tests, memorizing words on a map, doing sums, and interpreting symbols. Researchers found that children using the Nintendo DS system didn't show any significant improvement in memory tests. They did do 19 percent better in math, but so did the pencil-and-paper group, while the fourth group did 18 percent better.

"If it doesn't work on children, it won't work on adults," Lieury said.

Of course, some will surely argue that brain games--even if their long-term benefits aren't scientifically proven--beat out first-person shooters or watching MTV when it comes to a beneficial use of time. And in the end, Lieury's findings pretty much back reviews by CNET, at least of Brain Age: "Does Brain Age actually make you smarter? We have no idea, but it's still an interesting puzzle game available at a budget price."

We've contacted Nintendo to get a response to Lieury's study and will update this post as soon as we hear back.

In the meantime, as the debate continues, have you or your kids played any of Nintendo's brain games? If so, did you spot any cognitive improvements?

[BlitzBoy1120]

I wouldn't expect it to really teach someone something. It's just to pass time. Saying that it would actually make you smarter or such is just advertising.

[adelie42]

It sounds like the conclusion of the study continues to confirm that using your brain is the best way to keep it sharp, be it playing Nintendo DS, being engaged in a classroom environment, sudodu, or any other pencil and paper puzzle or homework. I personally don't find any suggestion that Big Brain Academy isn't more than any other method to be more effective to be particularly significant. If it keeps up with other methods, then great, it lives up to its purpose. If children are more engaged, excited, inspired and encouraged to use their brain because of Big Brain Academy, not to mention the possibly more motivating competition through the social use of the game, then the game should be praised.

I would be most interested in feedback from these 10 year old about how they felt about being a part of the group they were in, what they thought of the other groups, level of perceived group cohesion, perceived positive and negative effects of competition, and if they would be inclined to encourage their parents to get them a copy, and if so, felt like it was something to become good to impress their friends.

There is no lack of material out there to stimulate ones brain (or things out there to bring it to a screeching halt for that matter). The challenge is getting kids to take pride in training their brains and feeling like pursuit of academics endeavors would enrich their lives.

Self motivated students will always thrive in rich environments and can pick tools for themselves be it Big Brain Academy or a good old fashioned textbook. For the less motivated student that is open minded but otherwise finds 'math' or solo puzzles boring them to sleep, Big Brain Academy brings new options to parents and students. The greatest thing I love about Big Brain Academy is that it is adaptive to any skill level or age, and anyone with the skill to hold the remote is going to be able to participate.

At very least, when was the last time parents got a fun, challenging brain game that was equally enjoyable for their child?

I played this game for the first time on New Years at an all adult party, and it was a lot of fun for everybody. I don't think a wild game of sudoku in any form would have been nearly as entertaining. From someone that has had no interest in buying a console since the 8 bit Nintendo, I am strongly considering getting a Wii just for this game.

I feel this 'scientist' took a too narrow and flawed approach in assessing this game, particularly with respect to how the game could likely have been improved. Even more reason why personal feedback from participants could have had the greatest value from this study.

[adkman1956]

Did this, or any other, study look at older people? The claim, from Nintendo, is to prevent brain aging. I want to know if I am wasting my time.

[adelie42]

Certainly not! While the study seemed to have a negative review, I had an opposite reaction to their findings. Studying hard at math and other logic skills helps expand your mind. If they are equal, do whatever is the most fun. Maybe diversify if you like, play the game, do some puzzles, and pull out a textbook every once in awhile. I am sure that would be even better. But if math textbooks bore you to tears, and just don't have the time and energy for school, and you can only do so many sudoku puzzles, Big Brain Academy gives you another option. It is like diet and exercise; it isn't so much what you do as long as you can stick with it. Hopefully Big Brain Academy is engaging enough you can practice on a regular basis long enough for a sequel. :)

[kaega]

The point of this game I think was missed entirely. It allows you to do these logic puzzles on a consistant basis to "exercise" your mind when you're not using your mind otherwise. In this study all students were getting tested to exercise their mind, ensentially doing the same thing. The fact kids who only used the DS showed any improvement over ones doing paper tests is impressive.
An adult that does not get tested regularly would show improvement. Well, anyone that doesn't get tested regularly would show improvement. So as I said I think they have missed the point. The idea isn't to be better then standard tests, it's to give something to use in the absense of these tests to keep the mind working. Are kids doing written tests during summer holidays? That's time where the mind is just degrading away. If you can have your child sit through the holidays and do regular tests, I guess there's no point to brain age.

[adelie42]

Reminds me of a study published recently disproving that we only have the brain cells we are born with, and that we don't grow new ones. This was based on observation of rats that were kept in cages all day in a mentally sterile environment. The recent study showed that if rats, like any other animal are kept in rich environment to engage in, new brain cells develop quickly as the subjects are encouraged to learn. Who would have thought?

"The fact kids who only used the DS showed any improvement over ones doing paper tests is impressive."

Couldn't agree more.

[buruko]

I can't speak for the other games but Brain Age does not advertise to make you smarter. I simply states that in measured response times to chart your progress comparatively to test groups aging in age from 20 to 80 that were given the same series of tests.

I wouldn't say that Brain Age has made me smarter, but I would say it has kept my mental facilities in great shape to process information and problem solving as quickly as I possibly can. I suppose showing "significant improvement" depends on how the subjects were scored/graded in memory tests as well as speed and accuracy, not just accuracy of other topics.

I feel given a daily effort the game has improved my handling of common math and has increased my memory capacity.

[adelie42]

"I wouldn't say that Brain Age has made me smarter, but ... the game has improved my handling of common math and has increased my memory capacity."

In what better way to measure "smart"? If smart is measured by the ability to use your brain in useful ways to empower yourself in your daily life, how can that be anything but improved by expanding your math reasoning and memory capacity?

[U. Tripps]

I don't know about kids, but the adults in my family did play Brain Age every day for about a week over the holidays (my father-in-law received a Nintendo DS as a gift). We all saw our scores improve dramatically, and quickly, which is the dead giveaway that it can't be scentifically robust. I'm convinced that scores improve (at least in the first few weeks) because you get better at learning how the DS works. You get better at drawing numbers in a way that won't confuse the DS, and you figure out what tone of voice is most easily understood in the vocal exercises to avoid false negatives.

What seems really interesting to me about Brain Age is that the designers are very good at triggering reward centers in your brain, so you keep playing. :)

[Angry_Ginger]

I think the important thing about games like brain age is that kids (and some of us adults) these days would rather be in front of their NintendoDS than doing the other things listed by professor Lieury. So if that?s the case this lets them hold the course, if not improve mentally.

[trevor_tj_88]

I can't account for Brain Age and other various "brain games" to make you smarter. I don't know if this is just phychological or not, but my focus does seem sharper and more concentrated after a good month or so of regular brain games. I can also say that even if it doesn't improve "in real life" attentiveness, at least my scores in the game have improved over time. I think that says at least something about it.

[berbudrb]

I have been working in the brain fitness space since 2001 and we have come along way. There has been significant scientific studies over the last 5 years that illustrate how we can maintain and develop our cognitive skills through our lifespan. Our company has started to launch pilots that provide more efficacy to our software. I truly believe the next 5 years will see a lot of positive developments in this area.

Michael
www.fitbrains.com