Changing the game: Adaptive gameplay in Thinkie

According to Dr Kawashima’s research, simple mental exercises can have significant benefits for cognitive function, particularly as we age. His work focuses on two main types of exercises that are easy to perform but highly effective: reading aloud, and simple arithmetic.¹

Thinkie games also incorporate adaptive gameplay elements to avoid habituation and maintain cognitive engagement.

Here are some key aspects of how we employ adaptivity:

1. Variation in challenge type to prevent habituation to specific tasks and maintain interest
2. Performance-based progression to track player performance over time
3. Time-limited sessions to maintain focus and prevent mental fatigue
4. Adaptive adjustment of game difficulty

This last aspect is vital because not all brain training programs personalize their level of difficulty to ensure a consistent but attainable level of challenge. As players improve their performance, the difficulty level of Thinkie games increases automatically. This keeps players in what's called the "Zone of Optimal Engagement", providing an appropriate level of challenge. In fact, some exercises adapt by speeding up or requiring recall of equations from further back in time as players improve 

This approach to brain training is supported by research suggesting that games that progressively adjust their level of difficulty to the specific user lead to stronger gains in user executive function.²

Each of Thinkie’s brain training exercises has a task level, which is then adjusted based on the user's performance. There are five task levels, ranging from 1 (low) to 5 (high), with the initial level set at 1.

After completing a brain training game, users earn Thinkie Points based on their performance, with the task level of the ensuing game determined by the current game's task score. Depending on the results, the task level may increase by one step, remain the same, or decrease by one step from the pre-implementation level. The new task level will take effect the next time brain training is conducted.

For instance, if you perform well in a game but your brain activity level is correspondingly low, Thinkie knows that that level is too easy for you and will adjust the level of difficulty the next time you play. Conversely, if you didn’t perform well at the game and your activity level was high, it will fine-tune the difficulty downward to ensure you have a better training experience.

The idea is to maintain a consistent level of challenge so that you don’t get bored or habituated to the game, but not so high that you become discouraged and quit. This is just one of many ways in which Thinkie serves as your long-term partner in maintaining cognitive health.

‍¹ Brain training turns back your cognitive clock

‍² The effect of adaptive difficulty adjustment on the effectiveness of a game to develop executive function skills for learners of different ages

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