The best game apps provide high-quality entertainment, optimized functionality, and immersive gaming. Depending on the genre, apps may be measured according to different rubrics. For example, educational apps can be evaluated according to a series of criteria such as: interactive multiplayer appeal, shareability, critical thinking skills, relevance, and appropriateness, personalization, and didactic ability. If an app meets these criteria and scores highly in each category, it passes the litmus test. Evaluating apps based on category and genre can provide a useful framework for ensuring the consistency and quality of the educational apps.
Here are some of the best smartphone brain games that are fun and can help train your mind:
- Lumosity is a brain training app that offers a variety of games designed to improve your cognitive skills, such as memory, attention, and problem-solving.
- Peak is another brain training app that offers a variety of games to help you improve your cognitive skills. Peak also offers personalized training plans based on your individual needs.
- Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day is a brain training app from Nintendo that is designed to help you improve your cognitive skills. Brain Age offers a variety of games that are both fun and challenging.
- Monument Valley is a puzzle game that is both visually stunning and challenging. Monument Valley can help improve your problem-solving skills and spatial awareness.
- Flow is a puzzle game that is designed to help you relax and focus. Flow can help improve your attention span and problem-solving skills.
These are just a few of the many great smartphone brain games that are available. With so many options to choose from, you’re sure to find a game that you enjoy and that can help you improve your cognitive skills.
Evaluating Brain Training Apps
Game apps can also be measured according to a set of criteria such as entertainment appeal, immersion, innovation, engagement, and optimized gameplay. Brain training apps are evaluated in terms of their ability to engage our thought processes. App developers need to create a product that is optimized for maximum stimulation, and minimal attrition. If gameplay can improve neuroplasticity, it is important to create content that engages users and targets the problem-solving centres of our brains. The jury is out as to whether there is a causal link between brain training exercises and enhanced cognitive functionality. However, there are an equal number of studies attesting to the direct links between brain processing functionality and brain training exercises. Therefore, case studies can be conducted to determine whether one intellectually stimulating app is better than another, based on outcomes.
Various tests have been conducted over the years, including the 2016 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) where it was confirmed that seniors who participated in brain training activities for 10 x 1-hour sessions over a period of 5 weeks displayed almost 50% less likelihood of dementia over 10 years. Of course, there are many examples of brain training apps that were cited in the studies, including Fit Brains, Elevate, Peak, CogniFit and Lumosity, among others. These games have won critical claim from players and educational authorities the world over.
How do Puzzle Game Apps Stack Up?
Puzzle games are among the most popular attractions today. Several leading puzzle apps have been evaluated in terms of their entertainment appeal, high-energy content, and addictive gameplay. One of the more popular games is Toy Crush – Blast Cubes by Match 3 Fun Games. Players get to solve puzzles by blasting cubes as they level up. This game requires players to match 2+ cubes of the same colour, and then advance through various puzzle levels to win great surprises. Various boosters and rewards are available by matching different numbers of cubes. For example, matching 5 or 6 cubes rewards players with a rocket, 7 or 8 cubes rewards players with a bomb, and 9 cubes reward players with a coloured wheel. This engaging app is geared towards everyone, and has already garnered a 4.5/5 rating from 1,620 reviewers.
Smart – Brain Games & Logic Puzzles is a game tailored to adults and kids, where players are required to solve various brain games and level up as they uncover riddles to puzzles. This immersive game was created by Healthy Body Apps, and is expressly designed to train your brain. There are 600+ levels for players to work through. Intense concentration, mental acuity, and quick reactions are needed to solve puzzles, and complete hundreds of stages of play. These brain games and logic puzzles contain over two dozen titles, and the smorgasbord of attractions are ideal for people of all ages. In fact, it has been touted as one of the finer family-style games on the market. With just 1 minute required per level, you can blaze your way through these brain games while you’re competing against other players. Many users rate these as incredibly easy games to play, and a great way to pass the time.
The Final Word
Technology is advancing at a rate of knots, and gamers will always raise the bar in terms of their expectations from various game apps. As the quality of software and hardware improves, and AI technology goes mainstream, we will see game apps being evaluated in terms of more than just the number of downloads and installs. Players routinely evaluate immersion, engagement, multiplayer functionality, rewards, puzzle-solving criteria, and other aspects. Depending on the niche audience being targeted, one app may fare better than another. Rich audio-visuals, uninterrupted gaming sessions, and mental stimulation are central to the success of a high-quality game app.