According to a study by The Mind Research Network, playing Tetris thickens the cortex of the brain. It has been popular since it was first created in 1985. Different pieces drop from the top of the screen. The player must quickly rotate and move pieces in order to line them up to fit with those that have already dropped. Any time a solid row is created that extends across the entire playing area, that row will disappear and any pieces above the row will drop. Any rows that have blank spaces will remain until they are filled in. As play continues, the speed of the new pieces being dropped continually increases. Finally, the player cannot keep up, the stack touches the top of the screen and the game is over. The game is suitable for players of all ages.
Scrub the Surf is a matching game that challenges players to identify items that are alike. During game play, a player takes on the role of a champion surfer who is trying to clean up the ocean in order to be able to enter a competition. Players must use the mouse or touch pad to quickly draw circles around objects of the same type in order to remove them from the water, even as the items continue to move. The game is appropriate for players ages 6 and up.
Simon Says gives players a chance to get a real memory workout. It is an online flash game provided free through the University of Washington. The game has a board divided into quarters, each one a different color. Each color is associated with a single note. During play, the game will light up a single color and play the tone. The player must immediately click on the correct color. The number of colors increases by one each time until the player makes a mistake.
Players of all ages can play this game, but younger players may find it a struggle to keep up with the higher levels of the game. Those who feel that this is easy can turn off the sound to see how well they can do without the auditory cues to help them.