Do brain games make kids smarter?

Brain games have been the subject of much controversy due to their unclear effectiveness in maintaining mental fitness among users.  Many are asking, “Do these games really make people smarter?”  I say that the real question is “Are these games better than traditional methods?”  For example, the Alzheimer’s Association recommends games like Brain Age, but they also recommend general puzzle therapy to patients.  Some researchers have taken notice, including cognitive psychologist Alain Lieruy of the University of Rennes in Brittany, France.  His recent study of 10-year-olds concluded that Nintendo’s brain games aren’t what they claim to be.  Yes, kids use their brains while playing Big Brain Academy and Brain Training on Nintendo DS, but not any more than doing homework, reading, or playing paper-and-pencil games like sudoku.

Lieruy’s study.

Professor Lieruy chose to test 10-year-olds for his study because “That’s the age where you have the best chance of improvement.  If it doesn’t work on children, it won’t work on adults.”  Sixty-seven 10-year-olds were split into four groups:

• Groups 1 and 2 – A 7-week course on Nintendo DS game console
• Group 3 – Puzzles with pencil and paper (ex: Scrabble and sudoku)
• Group 4 – Typical school work

Each group was tested on three skills before and after their assigned seven week courses:

• Mathematics
• Memorization
• Logic

Here were the results:

• Nintendo DS Groups – 19% better in math, 17% worse in memorization, 10% better in logic
• Pencil/Paper – 19% better in math, 33% better in memorization, no change in logic
• School – 18% better in math, no change in memorization, 20% better in logic

What does this study really tell us?

Most of the press interpreted the results of this study as negative.  I actually think this is a positive thing for brain games as far as math skills are concerned.  Brain games are just as good as doing math homework.  Awesome!  However, most brain games take pride on sharpening brains, “rejuvenating gray cells.”  That means improving memory.  Too bad kids who played on the DS had worse memory than when they started.  In reality, this study tells us that more research needs to be done on the effectiveness of brain games.  Do brain games really make people smarter?  More data is needed to really answer this question.

Recommended readings.

• Jan 26, 2009 – The Times – Nintendo brain-trainer ‘no better than pencil and paper’
• Sept 6, 2007 – BBC News – Mind Games
• Jan 17, 2006 – USA Today – Exercise your option to keep your brain cells active