Saturday 08 of July is Video Games Day. In keeping with this, today we are telling you about our neurofeedback games, which we have developed ALL in-house. In recent years, interest in mental training has increased greatly. Many people are looking for innovative ways to improve their concentration, relaxation and mental performance. One popular method for this is neurofeedback-training, which we offer in our practice.
Neurofeedback games are special video games or applications that are based on the principle of Operant Conditioning and make it possible to visualize unconscious processes. Here again is a brief explanation of what is meant by neurofeedback: Neurofeedback is a procedure in which brain activity is measured and analyzed. For this purpose, electrodes are placed on the scalp to record the electrical activity of the brain.
Based on this, training goals such as concentration, relaxation, focus, … can be set. The difficulty for the trainee is then adjusted individually. Based on this, certain threshold values are set, whereupon the trainee consequently receives immediate feedback in the form of the neurofeedback game regarding how well he or she is doing (e.g. loud or soft sound).
In a neurofeedback game, the player thus receives real-time feedback about his/her brain activity. Depending on whether the preset threshold values of the respective frequency bands are exceeded or not, the speed of the game changes, for example, or special rewards are unlocked. In this way, the player is supposed to learn to consciously control his brain activity and train certain patterns.
Therapy method for ADHD / ADD
Neurofeedback games are often used as a therapy method to help with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or anxiety, for example. However, they can also be used in the field of peak performance to enhance performance or relaxation.
An example of such a game is a flight simulator, where the player controls a virtual plane with the help of his brain. When the trainee gets into a relaxed, concentrated state, the plane flies, while it stops when there is stress or distraction. Through this direct feedback, the brain implicitly learns to regulate its own brain activity and, for example, to maintain its concentration for longer.
Neurofeedback games offer many advantages:
Training of this kind is extremely motivating. Playing a game is an enjoyable activity for most people, and the prospect of increasing their mental performance through it increases motivation even more. This is particularly interesting when training with children and young people, who often have difficulty getting excited about conventional training methods.
Another advantage is the adaptability of the games. Every player has different strengths and weaknesses in terms of brain activity. This can be compared a bit with weights in the gym – not everyone can manage the same weight and not the same exercise is suitable for everyone.Neurofeedback-Spiele können ganz individuell auf die Bedürfnisse und Ziele des Spielers zugeschnitten werden. Ob es darum geht, die Konzentration zu verbessern, Entspannung zu fördern oder das Gedächtnis zu trainieren. Wir haben insgesamt 15 neuro-responsive Spiele entwickelt, somit ist mit Sicherheit für jeden Geschmack etwas dabei. Gerne können unsere Patienten uns auch Feedback bezüglich des Spielerlebnisses geben, welches wir nach Möglichkeit versuchen umzusetzen.
Einige Studien konnten bereits die Wirksamkeit von Neurofeedback-Spielen belegen. Eine Analyse der vorhandenen Daten hat ergeben, dass das Neurofeedback-Training zu signifikanten Verbesserungen in Bezug auf Aufmerksamkeit, Konzentration und kognitive Fähigkeiten führen kann. Diese Ergebnisse sind vielversprechend und lassen hoffen, dass die Akzeptanz und Anwendung von Neurofeedback-Spielen im Bereich des Mentaltrainings in Zukunft weiter steigen wird.
Take a look at our BrainAssistant website and get an overview of all our various games and the software in general.
