These 7 Games Can Exercise Your Brain and Keep You Mentally Sharp
By Space Coast Daily // September 8, 2021
Can you still remember phone numbers? Do simple errands require a notepad and pen? Can you go from one room to the next without forgetting why you entered in the first place? If so, you’re among a small percentage of people whose memories remain top-notch into old age.
If that’s not you, don’t worry — there are plenty of things you can do to improve your memory while protecting yourself from future mental decline.
Why should we play games for our brains?
Exercise is key to maintaining a healthy brain, and games can serve as an effective workout. While some argue that only video games have the power to keep your mind stimulated, card and board games can also be great for improving memory and overall cognitive functioning.
Playing online games is excellent for exercising your brain because they are designed to challenge you mentally, making you think faster and be more creative. With games like Scrabble, not everyone can be at their best, so they can use sites that unscramble the words when you get stuck, like for example wordgiraffe.com.
Everyone needs a little help, and with this, you can practice until you don’t need to use it anymore. Some games require players to use visual memory skills, while other games aim at improving language fluency.
Some games for improving brain sharpness
The following are 7 of the most popular games that can help to keep your mind sharp:
1. Brain Age 2
2. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training
3. Big Brain Academy
4. Lumosity
5. The 3D Maze
6. Scrabble
7. Tetris
1. Brain Age 2
The Nintendo DS game, Brain Age 2, requires players to cramp their brains into thinking hard while doing simple tasks. The game challenges users to complete math equations faster and more accurately, write the letter or word displayed on the screen faster than it appears, read text aloud as fast as possible, and solve puzzles.
The game also tests your memory, asking you to remember what’s displayed on the screen or in which order numerals are being flashed at you.
Brain Age 2 is an engaging video game that will keep your mind sharp and active. Repetitive tasks are known to stimulate neuron growth, so playing the same games, again and again, is just as good for your brain as getting on an exercise bike is for your body.
3. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training
Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training helps individuals improve their concentration skills through games that aim at strengthening mental abilities such as memory functions, attention span, and speed of processing information.
Players must answer questions by using touch-screen technology to draw lines between numbers in order to give birth to an animated baby. Points are earned when the baby begins crawling across the screen after being drawn.
4. Big Brain Academy
The Nintendo DS game, Big Brain Academy, requires players to use their brainpower in order to take part in scenarios that mimic real-life situations. Players must solve problems by using their quick-thinking capabilities and the skills they have learned from previous games. Big Brain Academy uses a step-by-step tutorial to teach users how to play each mini-game.
5. Lumosity
Lumosity is a web application that is designed to help individuals improve memory, attention, and flexibility skills through simple yet challenging games that force the mind to think fast and remember details. Players can choose between exercising with visual memory tasks, verbal memory tasks, or logic puzzles depending on what skill set they feel needs to be improved upon. The exercises are designed to make existing brain skills stronger.
6. The 3D Maze
The 3D maze is a Flash-based game that challenges users to navigate their way through a virtual dungeon without getting caught by the monsters roaming through it. Users must pay close attention to the path they have taken and plan future paths before stepping on a square, as a wrong move will result in death. The maze changes every time the player reaches a new level, keeping them entertained.
7. Scrabble
Players of Scrabble can improve cognitive functions such as thinking ahead, memory recall, and vocabulary skills by playing this word-building board game with friends or family members who match their skill set. Players must use logic and thinking capabilities in order to form words using the letters that they have been dealt. The objective is to create as many words as possible and earn points.
8. Tetris
Tetris is a puzzle game that requires players to manipulate shapes composed of four blocks each so that they fit together in horizontal rows. Players must rotate, move and drop the shapes at the right moment in order to fill gaps and prevent lines from filling up completely, resulting in losing the game. Exercise for the brain is easy to accomplish with the help of online games.
9. Solitaire
Games like Solitaire may seem like just another way to pass the time, but studies show that Solitaire players learn, cycle, store, and review data faster than non-gamers. One benefit of playing Solitaire is that it develops short-term memory. Because you have to group cards in this game, you often have to remember the positions of the cards while playing. This gives your brain a good workout.
What do experts think of using games to exercise the brain?
Exercise for the brain is possible with online games because they are designed to challenge your intellectual capabilities. The effects of playing brain-training games have been reported by both children and adults, according to research, which shows improved faster neural connections in the brain due to gaming. Games allow planning ahead abilities, decision-making skills, and concentration levels to be improved among this age group.
Playing video games has become a common hobby among many people, including children and adults. Although some parents view video games as simply entertainment, new studies suggest that they may also increase brain activity and are helpful for concentration.
Where can you find these games?
Brain-training games are available online for free. To find the best online games that keep your brain active, simply search for them or look up articles on websites that feature articles on how to exercise your brain with different types of video games.
What type of games should I play?
The best online games that exercise the brain are those which stimulate your mind, so all you need to do is search for them. If you are looking for a game suitable for young children, searching for “brain training games” will give you many choices. For an adult who likes word-building games, looking up “word games” might be better suited.
The best online games that exercise your brain are those which stimulate your mind. You can search for them or look up articles on websites that feature articles on how to exercise your brain with different types of video games. Why not take advantage of this free way to exercise the brain while having fun at the same time? Happy playing!
