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