{"id":6070,"date":"2020-05-29T14:58:06","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T14:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcare.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/29\/exercise-brain-play-video-games\/"},"modified":"2023-04-14T18:08:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T18:08:48","slug":"exercise-brain-play-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/resources\/exercise-brain-play-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Exercise Your Brain: Play Video Games!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Research is showing that challenging your brain as you get older can help prevent cognitive decline. One recommendation is to learn something new, like a different language. For older adults who are not electronically inclined, playing video games is like mastering a whole new medium.<\/p>\n<div class=\"separators-custom-box-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"separators-custom-box\">\n            <div class=\"cta_title\">In-home Caregiver in Stockton<\/div>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\" class=\"c-btn -small -inverted has-icon icon-right\">\n                <span class=\"c-btn__txt\">\n                    GET IN TOUCH           \n                <\/span>\n                <span class=\"c-btn__ico\">\n                    <svg width=\"30\" height=\"30\" class=\"ASD icon icon-lib-icon-arrow1 contact-info__icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\">\n                        <use xlink:href=\"#lib-icon-arrow1\"><\/use>\n                    <\/svg>            \n                <\/span>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<p>If you have children or grandchildren, especially boys who play games, you may have noticed that many video games focus on blowing up things. Fortunately for older adults who are looking for something more complex, many new games focus on more peaceful topics, such as detective work or travel.<\/p>\n<p>The following suggestions come from several websites (see list of sources below). You can play some on your computer at home, some on your smartphone and tablets and others using a home video game console such as Wii or Xbox. Prices range from free to $50.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.inklestudios.com\/80days\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">80 Days.<\/a><\/span><\/strong> Based loosely on the Jules Verne novel, <em>Around the World in 80 Days<\/em>, you plot your own route across the globe.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.angrybirds.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Angry Birds.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> This popular game has you launching the birds against their enemy, green pigs that are hiding in flimsy structures. It\u2019s a simple but satisfying endeavor, according to the hundreds of thousands who have played this game.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.civilization5.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Civilization V.<\/a><\/span><\/strong> Build your own civilization, from a roving tribe to an advanced high-tech society, while learning about how science and culture develop.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/lizadaly.com\/first-draft\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">First Draft of the Revolution.<\/a><\/span><\/strong> Your high-ranking husband has cast you aside for reasons you don\u2019t understand. You\u2019re given clues in the form of letters, through which you must figure out what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a><strong>I Am Alive.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> The premise of this post-apocalyptic action-adventure is that most of the world\u2019s population has been wiped out, and you are returning to the dust-covered city of your home, where you have to climb, scavenge and fight your way to survival.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thatgamecompany.com\/games\/journey\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Journey.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> Steeped in mystical and religious imagery with simple visual design and intuitive controls, Journey lets you find your path, and rewards you when you succeed.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kentuckyroutezero.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Kentucky Route Zero.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> In this visually beautiful game that incorporates magical realism, you point and click on where you want to walk, decide which characters and objects to interact with and choose your responses.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rockstargames.com\/lanoire\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>L.A. Noire.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> As a detective in post-war Los Angeles, you solve cases by investigating crime scenes, collecting evidence and interrogating witnesses.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.labyrinth2.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Labyrinth 2.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> You guide metal balls through a maze that offers tricks and traps to slow you down.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newgrounds.com\/portal\/view\/555181\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>One Chance.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> When a pathogen kills all living cells on Earth, you must choose how to spend your remaining six days.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hemispheregames.com\/osmos-mobile\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Osmos. <\/strong><\/a><\/span> This multi-media experience reimagines evolution as a battle between ghostly spheres that could be tiny organisms or massive galaxies. To grow and survive, you have to absorb smaller creatures.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"https:\/\/minecraft.net\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Minecraft.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> The hugely successful and creative game allows you to explore vast landscapes and construct your own houses, castles and whatever else you want to make, while avoiding zombies.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.monumentvalleygame.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Monument Valley.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> Players must guide their character through a series of landscapes that combine optical illusions and the irrational architecture of an M. C. Escher print. This stylish and evocative game was considered one of 2014\u2019s best tablet titles.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a><strong>Papers, Please.<\/strong><\/a><\/span> Winner of 2014\u2019s prestigious GameCity prize, you play the role of a border guard at an Eastern European country and must decide who can pass through and who must be turned away based on a series of ever-changing rules.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rockstargames.com\/reddeadredemption\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Red Dead Redemption. <\/strong><\/a><\/span> You\u2019re a retired, Wild West outlaw who is pressed into hunting down your former gang. Plotlines come from classic Western movies.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gb.thesims3.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>The Sims. 3<\/strong><\/a><\/span> In this popular game, you create virtual people called &#8220;Sims&#8221; and place them in houses you build or that already exist. You help satisfy their desires, whether for love or material goods. In this third version, you travel the world and learn about local customs and cultures.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #142875\"><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cGames for Humanity,\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rockpapershotgun.com\/2014\/11\/04\/games-for-non-gamers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rock Paper Shotgun<\/a><br \/>\n\u201cTop 20 best video games for beginners ,\u201d Feb. 19, 2015, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2015\/feb\/19\/best-video-games-beginners\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Guardian<\/a><br \/>\n\u201cTop 10 Video Games for Grown-Ups,\u201d April 11, 2012, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/top-10-video-games-grown-ups\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Next Avenue<\/a><br \/>\n\u201cPhone and Tablet Games for Grown-Ups,\u201d March 19, 2013, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/article\/2013-03\/phone-and-tablet-games-grown-ups?utm_source=Next+Avenue+Email+Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=ba1a38\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Next Avenue <\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Reprinted by Always Best Care Senior Services with permission from<em>Senior Spirit<\/em>, the newsletter of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors<\/strong> The Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) program provides the advanced knowledge and practical tools to serve seniors at the highest level possible while providing recipients a powerful credential that increases their competitive advantage over other professionals. The CSA works closely with <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Always Best Care Senior Services <\/span>to help ABC business owners understand how to build effective relationships with seniors based on a broad-based knowledge of the health, social and financial issues that are important to seniors, and the dynamics of how these factors work together in seniors\u2019 lives. To be a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) means one willingly accepts and vigilantly upholds the standards in the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility. These standards define the behavior that we owe to seniors, to ourselves, and to our fellow CSAs. The reputation built over the years by the hard work and high standards of CSAs flows to everyone who adds the designation to their name. For more information, visit <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">www.society-csa.com<\/span><\/p>\n<p>To print this article <a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/07CSA-Exercise-Your-Brain.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" aria-label=\"PDF of article\">CLICK HERE<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"separators-custom-box-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"separators-custom-box\">\n            <div class=\"cta_title\">In-home Care Services in Stockton<\/div>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\" class=\"c-btn -small -inverted has-icon icon-right\">\n                <span class=\"c-btn__txt\">\n                    GET IN TOUCH           \n                <\/span>\n                <span class=\"c-btn__ico\">\n                    <svg width=\"30\" height=\"30\" class=\"icon icon-lib-icon-arrow1 contact-info__icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\">\n                        <use xlink:href=\"#lib-icon-arrow1\"><\/use>\n                    <\/svg>            \n                <\/span>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Research is showing that challenging your brain as you get older can help prevent cognitive decline. One recommendation is to learn something new, like a different language. For older adults who are not electronically inclined, playing video games is like mastering a whole new medium. If you have children or grandchildren, especially boys who play&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-senior-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6070"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14155,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6070\/revisions\/14155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysbestcarecanada.ca\/stockton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}