Getting Smarter: Nintendo Brain Age creator turns down $11 million

The brains behind Brain Age, Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, may be smart but he’s turned down about $11 million in royalties form Nintendo. The money is his share of the $22 million in royalties Nintendo owes Tohoku University for the technology in the 17 million copies of Brain Age (Brain Training outside of North America).

After years of gaming, but not ever having picked up Brain Age, I’m convinced that it’s just a game. Basically, no matter what’s happening on-screen you get better with practice. Maybe the activities in this game apply to real life better, maybe not, but playing any game is going to do your brain more good than scrolling through the TiVo. No amount of support from Nicole Kidman, Patrick Stewart, or any other celebrity is going to convince me that Brain Age is any better for me than a steady diet of Gears of War and Guitar Hero.

Extra credit or something to Dr. Kawashima for not taking the money, but he sounds like a fossil. Despite his success developing games for Nintendo he only allows his sons to play video games for an hour a day on weekends and not at all during the week and he’s completely stopped playing video games too. Apparently his “hobby” is research. Do you really want to spend an hour having that kind of fun?

[via PhysOrg]