Nintendo for the brain

What if Nintendo was good for your brain? Video games would improve things other than your hand-eye coordination. Perhaps parents would encourage kids to use them to keep their brains sharper than those of non-users.\nGame developers at Nintendo are introducing a "game" to do just that. Brain Age tests your knowledge on math, memory, alphabetization and counting. This isn't new, as Sony, Sega, Tomy and Bendai game makers have all released their own versions recently, according to the International Herald Tribune. Still, it's making headlines.\nBrain Age is popular in Japan, selling more than 3 million copies. It seems like a good idea. Nintendo is also offering a sequel this summer, Big Brain Academy. Many kids and adults spend their time with entertaining video games each day. Developing a brain-exercising program is a nice complement. It's like LeapFrog for adults.\nThis is an ingenious way to corner the market on consumers who don't buy entertaining video games. Memory loss is a worry we all face eventually. We've all been there: you can't find your keys, your shoes aren't under the bed where you left them and your professor asks for an assignment about which you forgot.\nThis could be helpful. A bottle of Ginkgo Biloba, the memory herb, is only $10 at GNC stores. Yet, we don't really know what goes into that. The FDA doesn't evaluate supplements.\nScore one for computer programs and innovative visual technologies.\nPosit Science has its own CD-ROM version of a brain-exercising program. They have a free test you can take on their Web site (www.positscience.com/programs) to give you an idea of your smarts and encourage you to buy their product. It tests your auditory processing speed, which declines with age (along with most things in life). \nI took it and am proud to say my score was 62 milliseconds. I then checked my number against the top 10 percent of participants. Apparently my auditory processing speed isn't that great. Thirty-four is the top ten score for people in their 20s. The lower your score is, the quicker your speed.\nHmm. Apparently I need to beef-up my brainpower. Perhaps I should buy their software, as my brain should be in tip-top shape as I enter the job market.\nYet, the cost for the Brain Fitness Program is $395. I think that's pretty steep for something that is essentially a computer game. It may improve your capacity to remember and process information, but it may also deplete your bank account. No doubt the subsequent new-and-improved versions Posit Science develops will continue the trend.\nThe Nintendo Brain Age program is only $20, but I don't own the appropriate console. So I have a better idea: I'll do a crossword puzzle. That way my vocabulary will increase, and I won't be spending my time in front of a TV or handheld. I already spend too much time in front of my computer and TV, which are probably the causes of my forgetfulness and inability to concentrate. I know a vicious cycle when I see one.