It seems the venerable Professor Kawashima is merely a Doctor in Europe, as Nintendo has just announced the May 19 European release of Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? Either that or we’ve got the good ol’ Japanese Prof’s younger brother or son or something over this side of the world.
Lets not forget that it’s also International Brain Awareness Week this week, so this is timely news indeed. Whatever, videogames - as we know all too well here at SPOnG Towers - can often be brain-numbingly tedious and, if used excessively, bad for your intellectual development.
Christ knows, we’ve spent probably nigh on half our waking lives staring into TV or computer screens pretending to be imaginary aliens, make-believe cartoon plumbers, and avoiding falling coloured blocks of light. Its done us no lasting harm, but as Ricky Gervais said about the boy with Tourette’s who had been allowed to watch and memorise the entire history of Eastenders – “imagine if instead of Eastenders, that child’s mother had instead encouraged him to read and memorise the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica!”
Well, perhaps in years to come, we will be saying similar things about Nintendo’s groundbreaking DS brain workout software. “Imagine if we hadn’t given little Sebastian that Nintendo Brain Training game back in 2006! He might never have gone on to invent the time machine!”
Well, whilst we doubt that Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training is in reality going to inspire a new generation of Einsteins, it will be interesting to see if it can replicate the success it’s had so far in Japan.
The game launched in Japan in May 2005 and has already sold over 1.8 million copies, still holding on to the top spot in the software charts. The game has also been a huge hit amongst older people and non-traditional gamers, and is a cornerstone of Nintendo’s New Ways to Play strategy in Europe.
Sales of the game actually peaked during unconventional times for high video games sales, such as the Japanese 'Respect For the Aged' day, and research conducted has shown that two-thirds of total purchasers in Japan are 25 years old or older. The second version of Brain Training hit Japanese shelves in December 2005 and has already sold over a staggering 1.5 million copies.
At £20, its around what you would spend on an average Friday night on six pints of strong, continental lager and a dodgy kebab. Look at it that way and its got to be good value.
Lets not forget that it’s also International Brain Awareness Week this week, so this is timely news indeed. Whatever, videogames - as we know all too well here at SPOnG Towers - can often be brain-numbingly tedious and, if used excessively, bad for your intellectual development.
Christ knows, we’ve spent probably nigh on half our waking lives staring into TV or computer screens pretending to be imaginary aliens, make-believe cartoon plumbers, and avoiding falling coloured blocks of light. Its done us no lasting harm, but as Ricky Gervais said about the boy with Tourette’s who had been allowed to watch and memorise the entire history of Eastenders – “imagine if instead of Eastenders, that child’s mother had instead encouraged him to read and memorise the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica!”
Well, perhaps in years to come, we will be saying similar things about Nintendo’s groundbreaking DS brain workout software. “Imagine if we hadn’t given little Sebastian that Nintendo Brain Training game back in 2006! He might never have gone on to invent the time machine!”
Well, whilst we doubt that Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training is in reality going to inspire a new generation of Einsteins, it will be interesting to see if it can replicate the success it’s had so far in Japan.
The game launched in Japan in May 2005 and has already sold over 1.8 million copies, still holding on to the top spot in the software charts. The game has also been a huge hit amongst older people and non-traditional gamers, and is a cornerstone of Nintendo’s New Ways to Play strategy in Europe.
Sales of the game actually peaked during unconventional times for high video games sales, such as the Japanese 'Respect For the Aged' day, and research conducted has shown that two-thirds of total purchasers in Japan are 25 years old or older. The second version of Brain Training hit Japanese shelves in December 2005 and has already sold over a staggering 1.5 million copies.
At £20, its around what you would spend on an average Friday night on six pints of strong, continental lager and a dodgy kebab. Look at it that way and its got to be good value.
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Comments
Joji 15 Mar 2006 22:47
1/1
Twenty queens heads? That's a good price. I wonder how much of that the good Professor is gonna get?
I'm looking forward to this game and the Professor's cheesy grin all over my screen. It'd be nice for Nintendo to get more positive press for once too.
I'm looking forward to this game and the Professor's cheesy grin all over my screen. It'd be nice for Nintendo to get more positive press for once too.