Puzzles can be an enjoyable way to engage the mind, but Color Match Cube is a simple game I made for fun and personal use. It's inspired by cognitive tasks highlighted below, but the game is not tested in anyway, the game tries to loosely connect to them.
1. Working-Memory Tasks
The game involves remembering color locations on a cube, which is similar to tasks that test visual working memory. Research by Luck & Vogel discusses how visual working memory has a limited capacity, typically around 3-4 items, and relates to attention and intelligence1. Practicing similar tasks might help improve performance on those specific activities, though evidence for expanding overall memory capacity or transferring to real-life skills is mixed and not strongly supported.
2. Visual Search Elements
Rotating the cube to find matches adds a visual search aspect. Studies, like those by Green & Bavelier, have shown that certain video games can lead to improvements in visual attention and quicker responses on similar tasks2. The cube's rotation might offer a light version of this, but any benefits would likely be specific to the game and not guaranteed to carry over to other areas.
3. Attention and Impulse Control
Avoiding wrong flips requires focus and quick adjustments, akin to executive function tasks. Diamond's review explains how such skills involve inhibiting impulses and switching attention3. Games like this could provide practice in these areas, but research indicates that improvements are often limited to the trained task, with weak evidence for broader cognitive gains.
Give the Game a Try!
This is a simple memory game and hopefully an enjoyable way to exercise a few minutes a day! as the game layout changes every 24 hours, but for real brain health as aways sleep, and social interaction seems to work best! and is supported by evidence. If you'd like to play for fun, a round takes just a few minutes, please remember to feedback.
References
- Luck, S. J., & Vogel, E. K. (2013). Visual working memory capacity: From psychophysics and neurobiology to individual differences. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(8), 391-400.
- Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2006). Effect of action video games on the spatial distribution of visuospatial attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 32(6), 1465-1478.
- Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168.