GAMING TOY THAT DEVELOPS THESE 5 IMPORTANT SKILLS
“Turn off those video games; they are rotting your brain!” Ever heard that before? A common rebuttal would usually go along the lines of, “Hey, at least I’m having fun playing this game.” What if there was a gaming toy that wasn’t just fun, but it developed important skills needed in everyday life. Now, that would be something.
It’s clear that classic games, like puzzles or challenging board games can develop useful skills and increase cognitive functions. However, in a study by the Michael Cohen Group, touch screens have become the primary form of play for children 12 and under. Luckily, the WOWCube® system is a mixed reality device with a tangible interface that combines the best from classical 3D twisty puzzles and video games and offers a new game experience where virtual gameplay is controlled by physically tilting, twisting and shaking the device. The unique, interactive nature of this device results in continual play developing one’s fine motor skills, spatial intelligence, memory, problem-solving skills, and patience.
Why Video Games Are Good for You
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills are developed by increasing the strength and control of the small muscles in your hands and wrists. Ultimately, this improves hand-eye coordination, which boosts your confidence in efficiently completing common tasks. Fine motor movement allows you to handle small objects, tie your shoes, write a letter, and of course, play video games.
Since the games on the WOWCube® system are controlled by physical movements made by your fingers and wrists, it is always putting your fine motor skills to the test. At first, these actions, like tilting, twisting, and shaking the device may seem challenging, but you’ll notice that they quickly become second nature. And the challenge is what makes it fun! Not only will you become better at games such as Cut the Rope, Steampipes or Ladybug but you will also develop your fine motor skills, which are useful in many things we do throughout the day.
Spatial Intelligence
Spatial intelligence is our interpretation of how things, including ourselves, relate to other things and the environment surrounding us. It helps us walk around a room, recognize the objects around us and not bump into them! It also helps us analyze photos, graphs, charts, and diagrams. People with good spatial intelligence are able to visualize and manipulate spatial information, leading to better problem-solving skills. This is especially true when the problem has multiple moving parts, making it hard to imagine.
Take the game for cube — Butterflies, for example. The objective is to find two halves of the butterfly wings of the same color and connect them together. Each level increases in difficulty, but the concept stays the same. If the butterfly wings are on a face of the cube that you can not see, you have to mentally picture where they are and twist the cube in the correct way. That’s where spatial intelligence comes in handy!
The WOWCube® system consists of 24 screens on a three-dimensional cube. Depending on how the gaming toy is grasped during play, up to five sides can be out of sight. Spatial intelligence allows you to visualize what is happening on unseen screens in relation to the one(s) you can see.
Problem-Solving Skills
Problem-solving skills are critical in just about every action that we make. Simple problems like running out of toothpaste have simple solutions, like purchasing a tube of toothpaste from your local store. On the other hand, complex problems can have many correct answers. The hard part is finding the best solution. Now, that may be the most efficient, most cost-effective, or the least complicated answer. But that depends on your desired outcome. In other words, being good at problem-solving means that you are not only good at coming up with solutions, but you are good at understanding the problem at hand.
Continually exposing yourself to harder problems makes you better at problem-solving. You gain experience throughout this process, which can give you a systematic way of solving similar problems.
Currently, ten puzzle games and 12 arcade games are available on the WOWCube® system. Each one supplies a unique problem that you must solve, preferably in an efficient manner. As you progress in a specific game, like Cut The Rope, each level increases in difficulty from the last, gradually teaching the player, setting new goals and increasing the cognitive skills. This also teaches you to find a solution to a relatively simple problem and then take that knowledge to solve a harder yet similar problem.
Memory
Memory consists of three categories: long-term memory, short-term memory, and working memory. Long-term memory is where most of the information you know is stored, such as childhood events, the letters in the alphabet, how to drive a car, and countless other things. Short-term memory lasts 15–30 seconds and refers to a temporary storage of information in memory. Extra focus must be placed on the items in short-term memory to transfer them into long-term memory. Working memory overlaps with short-term memory, but it refers to the information you use to work on the task at hand. If you are solving a complex problem, you may need to pull information from your long-term and short-term memory to find a sufficient answer.
With that said, games on the WOWCube® system require you to store information in your memory. Once the cube is twisted or turned, you can not see the screens on the side you were looking at before. You must place that information in your memory and remember it as needed throughout the game. Your ability to store and recall information is constantly being tested, which gives you the opportunity to better your memory.
Patience
Ahh, yes… patience! Easy for some, hard for others. Nowadays, it feels as though patience has gone out the window with everything being available at our fingertips. For some things, that may be true. But patience proves itself as an important skill to have for many reasons. Patience is an integral part of dedication and managing your emotions. Without patience, Ilya Osipov and Savva Osipov would not have persevered through the dozens of prototypes it took to make the WOWCube® system.
Each game available on the WOWCube® system provides a new challenge to overcome. In order to learn the best strategies to get better at each game, you must be patient since your second try will likely be better than the first. Even if you have played the same games on your phone, a new “twist” (ha, get it?) is put on every game as the WOWCube® system operates differently than other gaming toys.
Try It Yourself
The WOWCube® system combines the benefits of classic games with the primary medium of play nowadays. Have fun playing your favorite games on a unique gaming toy while developing important skills such as: fine motor skills, spatial intelligence, problem-solving skills, memory, and patience! Check out the WOWCube® system here and take advantage of the 40% off while it lasts.
Resources:
- https://www.mcgrc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MCGRC_Digital-Kids-Presentation_022014.pdf
- https://www.petitjourney.com.au/fine-motor-skills
- https://earlymaths.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Spatial-Reasoning-Document-new.pdf
- https://arc.duke.edu/how-long-short-term-memory-shorter-you-might-think#:~:text=When%20I%20