From The Felt: Not All Video Games Are Evil
Monday, March 23, 2009 - John Greene
Let’s talk about an unpleasant fact that most poker players are going to have to deal with at some time or another: sometimes, you shouldn’t play. Whether it’s mere tiredness, a run of bad luck that has you spooked, or even that thing none of us want to discuss – old age – sometimes you need to take a step back and let yourself recharge. This is especially important in the weeks leading up to the WSOP and other big tournaments, where you can burn yourself out without even realizing it.
So, let’s say you self-diagnose and decide you need some time away from the poker tables – what can you do to get your edge back? Get yourself a Nintendo DS. No, I am not making this up. Yes, I know how crazy it sounds, but the DS has a plethora of games that can help you rebuild your reflexes and memory skills in a low-stress environment that doesn’t involve putting thousands of dollars on the rail and looking over your glasses at someone else.
The Brain Age series of memory, concentration, and math is the most famous, and for good reason. Using the built-in tutorial, you create a personal regimen of math, geometry, and reading tutorials that build up your retention and processing ability on the fly. When I first started playing the game (after a particularly disastrous wipeout in a tournament series that shall go unnamed,) my “brain age” was fifteen years older than I actually am. After a couple of weeks using the original Brain Age game every morning after breakfast, I got my cognitive skills down to that of a teenager, and we know how devious and tricky they can all be.
Much sillier but no less valuable is Elite Beat Agents, in which you help a group of dancing and singing superstars bring joy and harmony to the world using the DS’s stylus. No, I am not making this up. The little plastic pen with the Ds allows you to tap, drag, and spin various controllers on the game’s touch screen in time to the game’s music and what starts off as a pretty simple timing exercise becomes a real workout of your reflexes in the final levels, even on the easiest settings.
Then there’s Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, which I’ve now claimed as my planes-and-trains game of choice. No, it has no redeeming qualities, but getting to explore Liberty City and deal drugs out of the back of a van from a device that fits into my pocket is amusing as all get out. I just have to make sure I have the Crosswords game cart nearby so the better half doesn’t call me out on my “therapy.”
So, the next time you’re experiencing table burnout, maybe it’s time to focus on another type of game for a while. I’ve found that it helps tremendously, but you don’t have to take my word on it. Try it out yourself!
Related posts:
- A Warning About Evil Bots On the eve of Valentine’s Day, I’m going to declare...
- From The Felt: Mom Was Right, You Know. We’ve all been in a tournament and felt we needed...
- H.O.R.S.E games What does H.O.R.S.E mean? H.O.R.S.E. stands for Holdem, Omaha H/L,...
- Shady “home” games Tuesday night I found myself playing in one of the...
- From The Felt: Ryan’s Rules of Tournament Play Instead of the UBOC (congratulations to the winners, whose names...
Tags: brain age, elite beat agents, grand theft auto, nintendo DS, Poker Poker Poker, video games
