We spend a good part of our lives in school learning math, science and other grueling subjects. After college, we get a job and sometimes slide into a mindless routine, in which our once-sharp brains become dull from lack of stimulation. (Viral Internet articles are interesting, but it doesn’t take a lot of gray matter to read through them).
Numerous studies have shown that the brain needs to be constantly exercised, maybe even more than quads, abs and biceps. A daily game of Sudoku, for example, is like a burst of cardio for the central nervous system, and many apps and websites have taken this further by offering daily training exercises that help improve concentration, critical thinking, and cognitive abilities.
Addictive
If you’re the competitive type, you might want to check out Brain Wars, a new addictive game on iOS that helps stimulate your mental faculties while adding a physical aspect that will get your juices going.
The free game pairs you with a random opponent from anywhere in the world; or you can issue a challenge to a Facebook friend on Brain Wars.
Each game is composed of three rounds with the two competitors going head-to-head on randomly assigned mini-games. The mini-games are designed to gauge factors like speed, accuracy, judgment, calculation, observation, and memory. Each round will yield a score, with the total tallied to determine the final winner.
Some of the games you will find easy or difficult, depending on your natural aptitude. For example, we found ourselves preferring the arithmetic-related mini-games because it was easier, but we were completely confounded by the game “Reflection,” which required us to memorize “rebound points” from a 3×3 grid and then figure out where the light from a “flashlight” would end up based on the grid’s layout.
Then there are games that are downright confusing, mini-exercises that feel like the trick we used to do as kids, the one where you had to rub your forehead clockwise while simultaneously rubbing your tummy counterclockwise, then switching in the middle. There’s “Reverse Rock, Paper, Scissors,” which requires you play rock, paper, scissors with a twist: If the rock/paper/scissors symbol appears in blue, you have to pick an answer where you would win against blue; a rock/paper/scissors symbol in red means you have to choose which one would lose against the red option.
Playing the game constantly will give the app statistics that determine your brain’s strengths and areas that need improvement.
Frequent play will yield rank upgrades (you start as a chicken and go up higher the animal hierarchy as you progress).
If you want a game to sharpen your mind or one that will tell you how smart you are compared to others around the world (or your friends), download it on your iPhone/iPad.
Brain Wars: The Concentration Battle Game is available at the iOS AppStore.
