It has emerged this week from a Which? magazine organised piece of research that playing brain training games such as those advertised for the Nintendo DS actually provides little extra mental stimulus - and no more than simply surfing the net or playing 'normal' games.
Personally I can't believe it - could it be true that Girls Aloud - and Nicole Kidman were wrong (both endorsed the products in tv adverts)??! That's the last time I look to them for medical and scientific advice for sure...
On a more serious note there is quite a tricky problem here. We are often alert to contentious claims made by advertising in other consumer product spheres but yet remain awfully vulnerable to taking an ad's word for it when it comes to health and technology.
Perhaps it's down to the fact that we receive so many contradictory messages that it's hard to keep track - meat is good for the muscles, meat gives you cancer, meat is bad for the environment, meat industry provides jobs etc etc for example.
The problem is that we don't really know too much about many of these things from our own education and are now suddely confronted with a wealth of broad evidence - well, guess what? Marketing agencies know this, and they know that all parents want their kids to be clever and intelligent, and they also know that parents want a little time to themselves occasionally. Hey Presto! 'Buy this computer game for your children and they will make themselves clever quietely while you enjoy a break in the other room'.
The whole mental boost marketing device is also useful for creating a guilt-free gaming option which is important for some people who might otherwise be reluctant to spend time gaming. Hey Presto! 'Now you're gaming and developing your mind!'
I guess the bottom line is that, even though technology can sometimes seem complex and confusing, we are actually better equipped to make independent decisions than we realise. For example - the next time Girls Aloud give you medical and scientific advice in an advert for an expensive product - maybe read around a little before you buy...
Dejan Levi
