Wednesday, June 4th, 2008...4:06 am - Gary Hayes
The Funding Brain Game and Cognitive Long Tail
There has been a lot in the news recently of serious VC funding for Serious Games. This one reported by TechCrunch from Lumos Labs called Lumosity which got a smooth $3m is typical of the current rush. The robust business model for ‘improvement games’ echoes some of my 1990s research into business models around ‘old school’ point and click interactivity which put ’services that educated or improved me’ as second on a top 20 list of what people would pay for.
To quote their own advertising -
Lumosity users have experienced:
- Clearer and quicker thinking
- Improved memory for names, numbers, directions, etc
- Increased alertness and awareness
- Elevated mood
- Better concentration at work or while driving
The personally challenging element (and therefore urge to use it) for those over 30 is this particular game sampled 40 000 people who used the 7 day trial and the embedded chart below demonstrates how our cognitive functions (memory, processing speed and attention) start to deteriorate…time to train that brain, up,down,in,out…2,3,4…spot the missing object…2,3,4…
As you age your brain slows down, your memory goes, and your attention lapses. Online brain fitness games like Lumosity sell the promise of stopping that decline. But as the chart below shows, it is all downhill after 30. (The chart is based on the brain performance index scores of 40,000 Lumosity users). Lumosity lets members play games designed to improve their memory, processing speed, and attention.
I’ve tried the games, and they are rather satisfying. One requires you to locate a bird that appears on the screen for a split second, while at the same time identifying a letter that flashes elsewhere on the screen. (It’s harder than it sounds). Others include a maze memory game and a symbol-matching one. Members pay $10 a month, with a free, 7-day trial.
- y’know, a friends...
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