Color Rush: Arcade-Inspired Brain Training For Updating, Reaction Time, Shifting, and Estimation
This month we have an exciting new arcade-style brain training game called Color Rush. The high-speed driving game is a fun and exciting way to help boost some of your most important cognitive skills!
Table of Contents
About the game
The main objective of this high-octane driving game is to steer your vehicle through the racetrack as fast as you can while collecting as many orbs with the same color as the vehicle, however, watch out for the different obstacles that may appear on the road. The game will become more challenging as the user moves through the different levels, progressively requiring more cognitive resources.
Color Rush is lightly based on arcade-style racing games where the player is encouraged to drive the car while keeping their speed and drifting through turns, colliding with objects, or simply avoiding obstacles.
CogniFit’s team of neuropsychologists decided to take this idea and develop an entertaining game that would help the user not only relive the arcade experience but train their cognitive skills.
How to play the game
Color Rush is a game inspired by classic arcade games and uses mechanics that are very simple to learn but can be difficult to master at higher levels.
The basic objective of Color Rush is to drive your selected vehicle along the racetrack while collecting colored orbs matching the color of the vehicle.
While this may seem simple at first, drivers will quickly see that becoming a top-tier racecar driver takes plenty of skill and lots of dedication.
Scattered across the track, the drivers will encounter various types of obstacles, requiring them to plan ahead and think quickly to react to the dangers on the road.
When playing in free play mode, the first time a user starts the game, they will be asked to select their desired difficulty level. There are currently 6 unique difficulty levels, each with its own combination of vehicle and obstacles, giving players a huge amount of variety in gameplay.
When playing on the lowest difficulty level, Easy, the player will have to navigate the racetrack with a van that is very simple to control due to its low acceleration and top speed combined with high grip. On this setting, the driver will only encounter very basic obstacles along the route.
However, as the player advances into higher difficulty settings things can become quite challenging.
If the player decides to play on the highest difficulty level, Hard, they will encounter a wide variety of unique obstacles throughout the racetrack which they must avoid. But they may find that this is no easy task as they try to maneuver their motorcycle with an incredibly fast top speed and acceleration but low grip.
What can drivers find along the route to the finish line? Let’s take a look:
- Colored Orbs: These orbs will be found throughout the track. The driver must pass through the lane where the orb matches the color of their vehicle. Don’t get caught in the wrong lane!
- Hourglasses: Occasionally the driver will encounter hourglasses floating along their route. Collecting these will give the driver precious extra time to collect orbs and cross the finish line.
- Obstacles: There are various obstacles scattered throughout the track. But we don’t want to spoil all the fun, so you’ll just have to play Color Rush to find out more about each obstacle and how to avoid them.
The science behind the game
Color Rush is a fun brain game that requires the user to steer their vehicle across multiple lanes to avoid obstacles while collecting colored orbs on their way to the finish line. This exciting game helps stimulate the cognitive abilities related to Updating, Response Time, Shifting, and Estimation.
Updating
Updating refers to the ability to oversee actions and behavior as we perform a task to ensure that it is being completed according to the plan of action. In other words, updating is what makes it possible to ensure that our behavior is appropriate for a given situation and is adapting to potentially changing circumstances.
Updating makes it possible to identify and correct any change from the original plan and is a function that we use countless times over the course of a day. Let’s take a look at some Examples of how we might use updating in our daily lives:
- A carpenter will have to use updating to ensure that the bookshelf they are making is being cut and placed properly, while a programmer will have to constantly use updating to be sure that they haven’t made any mistakes in their code. Any worker in any field will have to pay attention and make sure that they are doing their work properly.
- When a child is doing their math homework, they need to be able to pay attention to their work to make sure that they’re adding correctly and writing down the right number. Students also have to make sure to take notes in class without making any mistakes and updating makes it possible to monitor and detect any errors as they write.
- When you’re driving to a specific location, you need to make sure to drive carefully and take the right exit. You’ll use updating when making sure that you’re going the right way and paying attention to the exits.
Response Time
Response Time, also known as reaction time, refers to the amount of time that takes place between when we perceive something to when we respond to it. It is the ability to detect, process, and respond to a stimulus.
Our ability to appropriately respond to stimuli in a timely and efficient manner depends on many factors, including our ability to perceive, process, and respond to the situation at hand.
- Perception: Seeing, hearing, or feeling a stimulus with certainty is essential to having good reaction time. When the starter shoots the gun at the beginning of a race, the sound is received by the athlete’s ears (they perceive the stimulus).
- Processing: In order to have good reaction time, it’s necessary to be focused and understand the information well. Following the previous example, the runners, after hearing the gun, will be able to distinguish the sound from other background noise and know that it is time to start running (process the stimulus).
- Response: Motor agility is necessary in order to be able to act and have good response time. When the runners perceived and correctly processes the signal, they started moving their legs (respond to the stimulus).
Shifting
Shifting refers to the brain’s ability to adapt our behavior and thoughts to new, changing, or unexpected events. In other words, shifting is the ability to see that what we’re doing isn’t working, and make the appropriate changes to adapt to new situations.
Shifting plays an important role in learning and problem solving. It allows us to choose a strategy and carry it out while adapting to the changing situation we encounter.
Let’s look at the characteristics someone with strong cognitive shifting may exhibit:
- The ability to adapt quickly to changes or new situations.
- Able to tolerate changes that may occur when problem solving or carrying out a task.
- Able to transition from one activity to another and know how to carry themselves properly in every situation.
- They can see from different points of view and recognize hidden relationships, which allows them to easily find different solutions to the same problem.
Estimation
Estimation allows us to predict an object’s future location based on its current speed, distance, and time. The brain processes the information that your eyes receive and determines what will happen as well as when and how to react quickly.
We also use our estimation ability in perceptive thought processes. Once the brain has decided what information from your surroundings it’s going to process, it evaluates and estimates its distance, speed, etc. In order to accurately process the information you receive and make an estimation, you need to use past experiences as a reference for what might happen in that specific situation. Using real-life previous situations will help ensure that you make an informed estimation about what might happen.
Are you ready to test your Updating, Response Time, Shifting, and Estimation skills while stimulating your cognitive abilities?
We hope you enjoy our newest cognitive stimulation brain game and would love to hear your thoughts on this or any of our other games! If you want to share with us, send us a comment or a message on social media.
And don’t forget to keep an eye out for next exciting game, due out next month!
After receiving his undergraduate degree in psychology, Scott went on to work as a teacher and educational counselor while working towards his master’s degree. He has spent several years working with children and adults and has personal experience with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Dyslexia, and Depression.
This post is also available in: Russian
