Brain Games: NeuroMatrixVideo game teaches kids about their brainsThe National Institutes of Health has funded a new video game developed to teach children about their brains. It's called NeuroMatrix. In playing the game, your child is a secret agent infiltrating a top-secret neuroscience research facility. Nanobots have invaded the brains of the scientists there, and your child's mission is to track them down and root them out. Failure is not an option, for if the Nanobots succeed in their diabolical plan, they will take over the Earth, along with the secret entity who created them. And all humans will be reprogrammed to become their docile subjects. Morphonix, the game's developer, endeavors to create video games that make abstract concepts of brain science fun and understandable to children and teens. This is the first series of video games that teaches children the science of their brains. The company's games include:
Journey Into the Brain, an award winning game for ages 7-11
NeuroMatrix, a real-time 3D game for 11-14-year-olds
Every Body Has a Brain, for ages 4-6, a recent addition
In NeuroMatrix, the young detective uses a medically based diagnostic process to find which parts of each scientist's brain the Nanobots have infiltrated. The player can shrink down and enter the amazing environs of the brain. The developers hope to give children a new sense of wonder and appreciation for their own brains, and help them understand the basic structures and functions of the brain. Kids learn that all of the parts of the brain work together, frequently at the same time and in tandem. They learn the fundamental units and processes of the brain --the neuron and the synapse. In addition, they carry that information forward into their own lives, to learn that, as adolescents, their own brains are undergoing constant changes, and these changes help explain some of the mood swings and strainge sleep patterns they may experience as they grow. More importantly, children and teens will realize that it's crucial to protect their brains from injury and to keep them in good health. Finally, it's hoped that children will appreciate what an amazing and vital organ the human brain is, and how complex and adaptable it is. Here's a sneak preview:
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