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From mashable.com
Go ahead and play your favorite addictive smartphone gaming apps — chances are they’re good for your brain.

A new study from the Archives of Neurology says playing brain stimulating games can improve your memory and delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Traditional brain games are scientifically designed to boost cognitive activity and enhance memory.
The market for mobile brain gaming apps is booming. Lumosity, one of the top creators of brain-training exercises and applications for web and mobile, raised $32.5 million for its brain training apps in 2011.
But scientist are finding that many games requiring focus — including Angry Birds — give the brain a healthy workout. Scientists say playing games, reading and writing all slow the growth of amyloid, the brain protein scientists think might cause the memory loss disease.
The Alzheimer Association told ABC News that the study “contains some valuable new data regarding the possible relationship between modifiable lifestyle risk factors and the brain changes that are indicative of Alzheimer’s disease.”
One hundred-year-old Kathleen Connell of the UK is the perfect example of a gamer who spends a couple hours per day playing brain games on her Nintendo DS to keep her mind young. A few of Connell’s favorite Nintendo DS games include Art Academy, Brain Trainer, Scrabble and Family Fortunes, she told The Sun. Brain Trainer calculated Connell’s mental age at 64.
“The Nintendo has been a great help to me, it’s absolutely amazing,” she told The Sun. “If there’s any secret to a long life it’s to think positive and keep your mind active.”
If the study and Connell’s advice are true, everyone at any age should play brain games to stay sharp. What are your favorite brain game apps?


Mass Effect 3 is not a corridor shooter- BioWare
From gamingbolt.com

Those of us who played Mass Effect 2 did not like how linear and restricted it was. It was more or less a corridor shooter. And since ME3 is going down the same action-y, shooter route, we’re all worried that ME3 might be just the same.
BioWare, however, says that ME3 won’t just be a corridor shooter, and the combat will be much better and more acrobatic than before.
“How the player interacts with the gameplay space is one of the most important things, as players spend most of their time doing that,” said executive producer Mike Gamble in an interview with CVG.
“We’ve added a lot of new melee stuff, and it’s all part of making combat seem more dynamic. Enemy behavior is also different as enemies will now try and flank and come up close.”
“There’s definitely been an emphasis on making combat spaces into open battlefields in this game,” he continued. “We’re trying to get away from corridor shooters.”
Mass Effect 3 releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on March 6.