Brain Training industry worth $225 million in US alone, says €1,600 report

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A new report from SharpBrains, Inc states that brain exercise games generated over $225 million of sales in the US alone in 2007. Since the category seems to have been invented by Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training which was launched in 2005, that’s quite an achievement.

The report (or at least its summary, I haven’t stumped up €1,600 for the full study) suggests that this sector is ripe for growth, citing opportunities amongst consumers, schools, corporations and even the military. It includes sections such as “An Interview with Dr Yaakov Stern – the connection between building a cognitive reserve and delaying Alzheimer’s symptoms.”

If nothing else, the very existence of this report demonstrates how seriously some people are taking the sector. The crossover between casual games into education, public health and professional training continues, and at each step, our industry becomes more successful, socially acceptable and legitimised.

And yet again, it appears to have been Nintendo who showed us the way.

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