Games for BioExplorer

[Guest guest]

One of the

exciting additions to BioExplorer over the past couple years was the Flash

Player, which permitted development of simple, low-cost games driven by the

client's performance. There was a small

flurry of activity when Flash player first appeared, but since then most of the

games available for training in BE have cost as much as the program itself.

Recently on

the BioExplorer list, a program called BXAdapter was presented. It offered users the potential to link BE to

a whole raft of free arcade games like the original PacMan (not the simplified

pacman maze that most of us use), Frogger, Pong, Asteroids, Space Invaders and

the classic Tetris. The cost of the

adapter was very reasonable, and the cost of the games…free!

Tetris,

especially, has a kind of NF mythology around it, since Marvin Sams has for

years used it as a "task" his clients do while getting feedback. However, to the best of my knowledge,

Marvin's Tetris is not in any way linked to the EEG; it's just like doing math

problems. BXAdapter actually allows the

trainer to make Tetris respond based on the client's EEG performance!

You can play

with BXAdapter in Simulation mode, where it sends a series of Pass/Fail signals

to itself (as BE would normally be doing), so you can play with the

controls. Or you can open BE, set it up

in Playback mode, and actually run the program and the games simultaneously to

see how it would work with a client hooked up. Practicing a little is probably

a good idea before sitting down with a 9-year-old (always a little embarrassing

to have the client showing you how to run the computer...)

BXAdapter

allows you to control 1) the visibility of the game (it fades—you control how

much and to what background—as the client drops out of the training range), 2) the

volume of the game (and the whole computer, including the BE feedback sounds)

or 3) both. It also allows you to send

keystrokes to games that use them. For

example, you can define that each time the client is in scoring range the

"spacebar" is clicked (or held down) to fire your guns in Asteroids. The client uses the arrow keys to orient and

move the ship.

There are

about a dozen currently-identified games that come with Windows or are can be

downloaded from the internet and used with BXAdapter. I expect, as the

community of users grows, that more games will be found and shared.

I've been testing

it with some clients for a few weeks now.

Getting most kids to play Tetris (or Clickmania), which are more

strategic games, instead of the "shoot-em-up" arcade games, takes some

work. We actually practice Tetris before

sessions or they have to play Clickmania until they get a score above 800

points (for example) before they can play Space Invaders. But adult clients

enjoy them very much. The feedback is

very clear. Suddenly, in the middle of the game, the screen fades out so you

can't see what's happening! You focus, and it comes back. The trainer can control how fast the fade and

return occur. With some of the arcade games that involve using arrow keys,

teaching the client to stay relaxed and still while playing is also very good

practice.

The

instructions and help files in the game are excellent, full and clear. When you open the little BXAdapter window,

your first page allows you to choose help, initial setup or a link to sites

where you can download games. Setup is

quick and easy.

BX Adaptor

comes in two versions: A professional

version, which includes a "bonus feature allowing you to tweak BioExplorer

while clients play games…" costs $199.

The "personal" version for home users, self trainers, etc., costs $129. You can buy at http://www.brain-trainer.com/software/gamesproduct.html

BXAdapter fills a hole in the

BioExplorer training package with a simple, elegant and inexpensive option. If

games are an issue with your client(s), this is tough to beat!

-- Van Deusenpvdtlc@...http://www.brain-trainer.com305/433-3160The Learning Curve, Inc.