Nintendo 3DS

Kawamoto-san, you came up with all these ways to get players to stick with the game. How do you feel they turned out in the end?

The n-back exercises may be categorized as Devilish Calculations , but it is still a lot of fun for players to compete, asking each other "How far back can you go?" And when families train together, if their scores are about the same, the game will display family members as rivals.

And you can use the StreetPass⁷ feature. 7. StreetPass: A Nintendo 3DS feature that, when enabled, allows users to exchange certain game data with other Nintendo 3DS users whom they pass on the street, simply by walking around with their Nintendo 3DS systems turned on. Using StreetPass with Oni-Brain Age: Concentration Challenge allows users to exchange the results of their training results with people, compare those scores and try to beat each other.

Yes. It will display people you have passed in the street in the same way as it does family members. That's another big motivation for persevering with Brain Age: Concentration Challenge.

When people first give Devilish Calculations a go, they will probably be able to get three calculations back and then they'll hit a wall.

Yes, three is about right.

At that point, players will think, "No one could possibly go any further!" But I imagine that if they then run into someone through StreetPass who has gone four back, they'll think, "If someone else can do it, then so can I!"

The company record is thirteen results back.

That's where it currently stands, anyway.

I've heard that someone at Dr. Kawashima's laboratory has gone 20 back.

I know!

That's superhuman!

I think you could say that person has a superpower! (laughs) Part of the fun of this software is wondering how far back human beings are capable of going.

Dr. Kawashima said he wanted to test the boundaries of what human beings are capable of.

So how far back does the game allow you to go?

Ninety-nine results back.

Ninety-nine…?

(wry laughter)

With this title, we're collaborating with Dr. Kawashima in his research, aren't we?

That’s right. Players naturally have to offer their consent for their results to be used, of course, but by using the SpotPass⁸ feature, player results from those that give consent can be sent to Dr. Kawashima each month. Players will essentially be testing the game anonymously, and the behavioral patterns of, say, Player A, which training activities they do and how his or her results change, will automatically be sent to Dr. Kawashima. This data will be statistically analyzed in the laboratory and used in further research. 8. SpotPass: A feature of the Nintendo 3DS system that, when activated, transmits various information and content when near a wireless LAN access point.

At a university research facility, gathering statistical data would usually only extend to a few hundred or thousand people, but this time we will likely gather data from many more people than that.

That’s right, and as a result, we may find scientific proof of the benefits of Brain Age: Concentration Challenge. (Editor’s note: This feature is not available in the North American version.)

In the future, I expect to see advances in a variety of fields of research, such as what kind of training is effective for improving working memory.

Yes. I'm really looking forward to that!