Playing smartphone game can have impact on dementia research

By Bruce Brown May 5, 2016

sea hero quest dementia research 900x600 — Playing Sea Hero Quest helps dementia research Photographer/Digital Trends

You can do your bit to help with dementia research right now. Just download and play Sea Hero Quest on your smartphone.

Researchers at University College London are collecting data on how brains navigate, according to Sky News. Because early signs of dementia include difficulties with navigating familiar places and spatial awareness, a reference database built from the behaviors of “normal” people without dementia can help in screening.

Dementia is not a specific disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia.”

Sea Hero Quest is a game in which you help an explorer navigate through multiple levels, gathering messages and information that represent memories of the explorer’s aging father. If you’re not a game player, be assured the game is pretty easy and you don’t have to play a long time to help.

I am definitely not a gamer but I was able to download Sea Hero Quest on an iPhone and start playing within a couple of minutes. All you have to do is tap left and right directional buttons to keep a ship straight in a channel.

Even two minutes of play is enough. According to the UCL researchers, if 100,000 people play the game for two minutes each, they will collect the data equivalent of 50 years of lab research. University College London neuroscientist Dr Hugo Spiers said, “It’s citizen science. Every one of my friends — every one of your friends, I hope — will contribute to helping us fight dementia.”

So take a break, install the game and play for a few minutes. Sea Hero Quest is available at the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store. Some of us will eventually develop dementia, in one form or another. Early diagnosis and proper medical treatment can slow, though so far not stop, the decline.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributing Editor

Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…

Gaming

You can pay more to play this fall’s biggest games early, but there’s a big catch

Players fight in a vault in Payday 3

I spent some time on the other side of the country for work last week. I was more disconnected than usual from the standard game release cycle during that time, but tuned in just enough to see Mortal Kombat 1 impressions going live across social media. When I flew back to New York on Friday night, I decided to unwind from a long trip by dropping $70 on a digital copy and enjoying some good old-fashioned violence.

Those plans were killed faster than Johnny Cage. I’d try to launch the game only to be greeted by a countdown screen. Assuming it was a mistake, I reloaded the store page and noticed that I had absent-mindedly preordered the fighter instead of buying it. If that was the case, then how was everyone online playing it already? It turned out I hadn’t ponied up enough. Had I spent $110 for a Premium Edition, I would have gotten a chance to play it starting on September 14, the day before I landed. Instead, I would have to wait until Tuesday, September 19, to get access. I was so frustrated, I nearly ripped my own spine out.

Gaming

Xbox Games Showcase can succeed where the PlayStation Showcase struggled

Senua stares ahead wearing war paint.

If there’s one video game presentation happening over the next week that has the most to prove, it’s the Xbox Games Showcase. Despite a strong start to the year with Hi-Fi Rush and a solid Developer Direct showcase, Microsoft’s gaming branch has floundered in recent months because of struggles with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the rocky launch of Redfall. With the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct Double Feature, Microsoft must reconfirm its commitment to gaming and to releasing high-quality first-party exclusives.

That said, Xbox is in an excellent position to do just that because of Sony’s underwhelming May showcase. As the first major gaming presentation of the summer, Sony had the chance to “win” the whole game reveal season early with its PlayStation Showcase. Ultimately, that live stream proved disappointing because of its focus on CGI reveal trailers and live service games.

Gaming

How fitness video games can help improve your mental well-being

A character holds the Ring Fit as they run down a path surrounded by green fields. Their hair is almost like fire.

Fitness as a standalone concept -- whether someone is running on their own, going to the gym, or just even walking on a daily basis -- has overall net positives for each person. The World Health Organization notes that “some physical activity is better than doing none” at all. People see visible, physical benefits from physical activity, including improved health, muscle growth, and improved coordination and balance. And when it comes to fitness video games, those same benefits hold true.

Fitness games have been around since the 1980s in some capacity when early iterations like the Joyboard for the Atari 2600 were first rolled out. But some of the most notable early fitness games that truly saw success come in the form of the arcade hit Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and Wii Fit. Both games have been positively received and effectively worked in getting players up and moving, be that through dance or more traditional workout methods like yoga and strength training.