| Best regards | | | | and that means more probabilities for loweracademic |
| Alvaro Fernandez | | | | performance and crime. Though his equipment wasnot |
| Brain Training and Mind Games: Interview with | | | | verified, and he was said to get confused about |
| Japanese Expert Go Hirano | | | | alphaand beta wave of EEG, parents and education |
| Today we are traveling to Japan to learn about | | | | authoritieslike municipal education committees loved his |
| latestgaming trends there. Go Hirano is a Japanese | | | | book andinvited him for lectures and conferences. His |
| executive withexperience in neuroscience and gaming. | | | | new book in |
| Alvaro Fernandez (AF): Hirano-san, what is the state | | | | 2006 became the recommended book of the year |
| of | | | | from the |
| Brain Fitness and Brain Training in Japan? what are | | | | National PTA Committee. |
| themost popular programs so far? | | | | The sales of software on home game machines have |
| Go Hirano (GH): So far, the most popular application | | | | declinedfrom its peak of 533 billion yen in 1997 to its |
| isanti-aging, and most popular product is Dr. | | | | 53%, 315billion yen in 2005. Dr. Mori's book and |
| Kawashima'sbook of calculations and oral reading for | | | | phenomena was thefinishing blow to the industry, |
| adults. | | | | especially for kids' games. |
| TV variety shows regularly come up with Brain | | | | Therefore game companies had to find new targets |
| specials. Itis hardly deniable that brains enchant | | | | who hadnever played game machines, like |
| Japanese people. Welove brain training. | | | | middle-aged group andwomen. Brain Age was |
| There were two times of "brain boom" in the past and | | | | preceded by a Sega's game box that wasthe natural |
| Brain | | | | next step after the book from Dr. Kawashima |
| Imaging created a third one most recently. Dr. | | | | Imentioned. |
| Kawashimaclaimed calculations and oral reading are | | | | For women, games on English training, language |
| good to developkids' brains in the book for children | | | | support fortraveling, cooking, common sense and |
| "Jibun no Nou wo | | | | etiquette areprovided. These new sort of serious |
| Jibun de Sodateru (Develop your own brain)" in 2001. In | | | | games not only helpedthe handheld game machine |
| thebook, gaming was said to reduce prefrontal | | | | stay always out of stock andreach multi-million sales, |
| activation andhave bad or no benefit for kid's brain. He | | | | but also successfully gave theimage that games are, |
| compared thefMRI image of someone doing simple | | | | depending on the software, good forthe brain and |
| calculations and playinggames, and apparently the | | | | education. Funny it is that the authoritybacking the |
| image of the former showed moreactivities. To see | | | | campaign is the same Dr. Kawashima whooriginally |
| the activities inside the brain wasfresh for people, but | | | | recommended kids to calculate rather than toplay |
| the methodology and logic was notreviewed by any | | | | games for the benefit for brains. |
| scientific publication. It was published bya company that | | | | No wonder, authorities from the academic and |
| provides a franchised chain of learningclasses. The | | | | medicalsocieties of the neuroscience field started |
| company maintained books at bookstores tocreate a | | | | criticizingscientifically unproven or no evidence-based |
| boom and was very successful. Then they came | | | | products,books and opinion makers. This year, |
| upwith adult version of training book, and sold more | | | | neuroscienceresearchers started a group called "Nou |
| than 2million. | | | | wo Ikasu (Make thebest out of Neuroscience)" and |
| Adults and senior people were seriously did addition | | | | have frequent meetings ofresearchers where people |
| andsubtraction of 1 digit numbers for countless | | | | can join. |
| timesbelieving it will maintain and even enhance | | | | However, adult consumers keep devouring such |
| theirbrainpower. | | | | games. Dentsu,the biggest advertising agency |
| This then became the basis for the Nintendo Brain | | | | announced the No.1 |
| Age videogame. More recently from him, cooking | | | | Consumer-chosen Choice of the Product 2006 was |
| became good for brainsince cooking demands planning | | | | gamesoftware and books for brain training. So far, |
| and multiple tasks. Theydemand prefrontal cortex | | | | apparentlythe demands went far out before the real |
| activation, and he showed image ofa brain when | | | | neuroscience comesto fill. Between the balance of |
| cooking. A gas company that wants to sell moregas | | | | body and brain, Japanesepeople are one of the |
| ranges and ovens helped sponsor the research. | | | | extreme that is most brain-ismoriented, to the brain |
| AF: we have heard there has been a backlash | | | | side, says Dr. Yoro. |
| recently. Is itmore of a scientific, or consumer one? | | | | AF: Hirano-san, many thanks for your insights. |
| GH: Scientific for adults' games, consumer for kids' | | | | GH: you are welcome. |
| ones. | | | | Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of |
| In 2001, another researcher, Dr. Akio Mori wrote an | | | | SharpBrains.com, which combines the latest |
| articlecalled "Gemu(=Game) Nou(=Brain) no Kyofu | | | | science-basedinformation for Brain Training with fun |
| (The Fear of Game | | | | Brain Teasers, andhas been recognized by Scientific |
| Brain)". He created his own EEG machine and | | | | American Mind, |
| gathered thedata of people who frequently play | | | | MarketWatch, Forbes, and more. Alvaro holds MA in |
| games and people who donot. He found the | | | | Educationand MBA from Stanford University, and |
| "beta-wave" from frequent game playersthat are | | | | teaches The Scienceof Brain Health at UC-Berkeley |
| "same as senior people with dementia". That, hesaid, is | | | | Lifelong Learning Institute. |
| because of lack of activities in their prefrontalcortex, | | | | |