Author: Pokemon Changed My Son’s Brain!

[PokemonElite2000]

Po Bronson, author of the book “NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children” and a Newsweek blogger, has posted an essay about how Pokemon has helped his son’s math and reading. They were reluctant to allow their son to have any Pokemon cards in the beginning, but soon saw the benefits of Pokemon:

That following school year, in his first-grade class, Pokémon became social currency. About half his class was entranced by the cards. At times it seemed ridiculous, but then I’d hear my son plop down two cards and talk out more complicated math problems than anything he saw at school: “160HP minus 110HP plus 30 resistance points minus 20 weakness points equals 60 points left,” he’d say, then plop down two more cards to solve.

I didn’t know then what I know now: Through this repetition, his brain was transforming. Heavily used neurons were learning to fire together, and these chains of neurons were becoming myelinated in thin sheaths of fat; by this process, “gray matter” is converted into “white matter.” The sheath surrounding the nerves acts as an electrical insulator, increasing neural speed by 100-fold. Active repetition also began tuning up the nerve capsules that connected his prefrontal cortex to his parietal cortex in the back of the brain. When these superhighways of nerve tissue come on board, the brain learns to delegate math to the back of the brain, making computation speed radically faster.

While we weren’t aware of the neuroscience, it was plainly obvious: Pokémon cards were making our son’s brain really fast at elementary-school math. I began to buy him cards. Lots of cards.

The second half of first grade, our son started reading the fine-print paragraphs on the cards. He got more reading time in through his love of Pokémon than he ever did at night, when we handed him books. He did read the books out loud to us, but it was a necessary chore. Pokémon was never a chore. And I noticed the paragraphs on the cards were syntactically far more complicated than anything he read in books. Soon, the same brain transformation that drove his math speed was reproduced with his reading speed.

Pokémon had taken over his brain. But in ways my wife never expected. Early in second grade, his math teacher told us he was as fast at math as the fifth graders. Not bad for a kid turned away by most of the local private schools prior to kindergarten.

Po Bronson has another follow-up posting here as well: Marshmallow Boy vs. The Pokemon Kid – The Neuroscience of Children’s Passions



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[!CeMAn]

Funny how nobody listens to actual fans of the game, but some academic says the same stuff and suddenly ears open up.

[Professor Geoffrey]

Very few adults say Pokémon helps their child's brain, as opposed to rotting it. Except this was by an author, so this is, to say, a big win for Pokémon. :D

[White_Rabbit]

Originally Posted by PokemonElite2000

Po Bronson, author of the book “NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children” and a Newsweek blogger, has posted an essay about how Pokemon has helped his son’s math and reading. They were reluctant to allow their son to have any Pokemon cards in the beginning, but soon saw the benefits of Pokemon:

That following school year, in his first-grade class, Pokémon became social currency. About half his class was entranced by the cards. At times it seemed ridiculous, but then I’d hear my son plop down two cards and talk out more complicated math problems than anything he saw at school: “160HP minus 110HP plus 30 resistance points minus 20 weakness points equals 60 points left,” he’d say, then plop down two more cards to solve.

I didn’t know then what I know now: Through this repetition, his brain was transforming. Heavily used neurons were learning to fire together, and these chains of neurons were becoming myelinated in thin sheaths of fat; by this process, “gray matter” is converted into “white matter.” The sheath surrounding the nerves acts as an electrical insulator, increasing neural speed by 100-fold. Active repetition also began tuning up the nerve capsules that connected his prefrontal cortex to his parietal cortex in the back of the brain. When these superhighways of nerve tissue come on board, the brain learns to delegate math to the back of the brain, making computation speed radically faster.

While we weren’t aware of the neuroscience, it was plainly obvious: Pokémon cards were making our son’s brain really fast at elementary-school math. I began to buy him cards. Lots of cards.

The second half of first grade, our son started reading the fine-print paragraphs on the cards. He got more reading time in through his love of Pokémon than he ever did at night, when we handed him books. He did read the books out loud to us, but it was a necessary chore. Pokémon was never a chore. And I noticed the paragraphs on the cards were syntactically far more complicated than anything he read in books. Soon, the same brain transformation that drove his math speed was reproduced with his reading speed.

Pokémon had taken over his brain. But in ways my wife never expected. Early in second grade, his math teacher told us he was as fast at math as the fifth graders. Not bad for a kid turned away by most of the local private schools prior to kindergarten.

Po Bronson has another follow-up posting here as well: Marshmallow Boy vs. The Pokemon Kid – The Neuroscience of Children’s Passions



More...

YAY POKEMON! this sounds like the work of: ALAKAZAM!


but more on topic, this is really cool. i'm glad people are looking into the positives.

[F.D.]

Back in like grade 3, we were allowed to play Yu-Gi-Oh / Pokemon TCG in maths, because thats really what they are.

[Lusitania]

This reminds me; I actually learned how to do math and read via Yu Gi Oh cards, and if I wasn't so involved in it when I was younger I wouldn't be as good at maths and reading as I am today.

[Dragonfyre]

I guess that as long as it interests the child, it makes learning fun, which is what it has to be about for younger children.

I laugh at them trying to get into a selective private kindergarden though! "Not bad for a kid turned away by most of the local private schools prior to kindergarten." I thought as long as you paid for kindergarden, you got in... :(

[W0LFE]

Originally Posted by F.D.

Back in like grade 3, we were allowed to play Yu-Gi-Oh / Pokemon TCG in maths, because thats really what they are.

That's sick as, I wish my school would let us LOL.

[Assaundrell Yumerai]

Ah, the benefits of Pokemon(^^)
Pokemon is not all about toys and games, it also strategy.

[Ah Beng I the Pikabeng]

Interesting. If TCGs such as this were in the syllabus...

Then again, some won't be able to outgrow this... Oh well, it's a start. ;P

[Lord Khajmer]

I knew that neuroscience stuff before from an article we read in English (it applies to physical reaction time and not just mental), but it never occured to me that it would apply to children's card games.
...
Then again I got into Pokemon in the second grade and that was when I started getting good at math. Cool.

[Lusitania]

Originally Posted by Dragonfyre

I guess that as long as it interests the child, it makes learning fun, which is what it has to be about for younger children.

I laugh at them trying to get into a selective private kindergarden though! "Not bad for a kid turned away by most of the local private schools prior to kindergarten." I thought as long as you paid for kindergarden, you got in... :(

My town has public government paid pre school and kindergarten classes.

[Aksyel]

I actually learned how to read by the Pokemon Games. XD;

Hurray for Pokemon!

[Pokevoxx]

It's amazing how fast kids learn and understand new things by playing Pokemon.
Another example is that kids who have a foreign mother tongue, learn to speak and write English in a very fast and pleasant way.

[Child_of_Lugia]

Pokemon is good for your writing skills as well,because it encourages you to be creative by designing your own pokemon and writing descriptions.