These days, it feels like we know everything, we have all the information in the world at our fingertips, up-to-the-minute info from the news channels and yet, it appears that our minds are getting weaker. It’s one thing to consume a whole lot of content, such as news, current affairs and whatever else it is you’re getting from the internet but, how many of us actually take care of our brains? As in, how many of us keep our brains in shape? I’m sure that some of you might have noticed a decline in your cognitive functions over time. Mindware Consulting have the perfect game to help sharpen our minds, read on to see if Mind Games is something for you.
Description: Mind Games is a selection of tests that, using standardized testing will help you improve your brain function, no matter your age. There are 13 games overall and each one of them feature score history, a global top scores list, and graph of your progress. Not only that but the game will track your progress and give you a summary of you best games and your scores for the day’s game. All of the games on offer are designed with cognitive psychology in mind, in order to help your sharpen your functions. Read on to find out more.
How it Works: To begin testing and training up your brain with Mind Games, you’ll have to go over to the Play Store and quickly download the game. After that you’ll be asked to either a create a user or play as a guest. It’s obviously better off to start a user but you can always play as a guest to get a feel for the game:
You’ll also have to select your age as well, which is important as it will help calculate your scores and how good your tests have gone:
Getting familiar with the app after that, there are a number of menus in the app, that allow you to tailor your experience. One of the better parts of the app is the scheduling feature, where you can set timers for three different times of day, perfect for when you feel your mind going a little mushy throughout the day:
You can also adjust the settings, which allows you to back up and restore your records, or you might have put something wrong in at start up:
When you want to choose your game, you’ll note that there are a lot of games on offer each one of them tests and exercises different cognitive abilities:
Let’s go ahead and play Memory Racer, a game that tests how quickly you can think on your toes, and how good your short term memory is, you’ve got hit match when the image before the one on screen, matches the one in front of you:
It’s a tricky game that tests your patience and there are often times the game will try and trick you, by sending the same image 3 or 4 times and then sending a very similar image. Gets me every time.
You can check your scores from within the app and the more games you play, the better a picture of your ability you’ll see. If you like the game it’s certainly worth getting rid of the ads and going for the paid version, however the ads aren’t AirPush or anything nasty here.
Opinion: While I am by no means a genius, I’d like to think that I had a good head on my shoulders, and as much as I like playing video games on everything I can and watching far too much television, I don’t want to lose touch with my brain. I want to be able to rely on my cognitive functions whenever I might need them, basically I want to keep sharp. No matter what anyone will tell you, your brain is like anything else, you don’t use it and you’ll lose it. Mind Games helps to keep your brain ticking and after a week or so of use you should notice some effects and feel a little sharper.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – There were no issues whatsoever, and the games run smoothly – certainly well enough to regularly catch you off guard.
- Features (5/5) – I will say that Mind Games needs some added polish but, the games do work and they work well enough to tax your brain.
- Theme (3/5) – I’ve seen a lot better from mobile games and not only does the whole app feel dated but, some of the images in the games could look better. It’s functional though.
- Overall (4/5) – For those that are interested in working out their brain, this is a good title to try, the games work and are a lot of fun. There’s also reason to carry on playing to improve those scores.
Pros
- Good variety of games to test all your skills.
- Tracking of scores will encourage you to keep playing.
- Being able to backup and restore your scores is brilliant if the game becomes a permanent thing for you.
- The sounds while playing a game are fun.
Cons
- Overall theme looks very tired on today’s devices.
- It’s worth buying the paid version if you like the game, some of the ads are awfully annoying.
- Images for games could be of better quality.
Conclusion: There’s no denying that there are a lot of games out there for Android but, a lot of them aren’t going to do your brainpower any good. Mind Games attempts to help you keep your brain sharp and help you keep your cognitive functions ticking over properly. Your mileage will, of course vary but, if you’re the intellectual type then you’re probably going to find this a lot of fun anyway, regardless of the effects it might have your brain. Mind Games is definitely something I would recommend to others, while it does need a new lick of paint, the function is all there and it does what it sets out to do very well, indeed.