Train Your Brain with Mobile Games

The market for brain health software is hot and getting hotter, according to a study by SharpBrains, an inde­pen­dent mar­ket research firm and think tank.

The organization reported that the market for brain health software alone grew from $600 million in annual revenues in 2009 to more than $1 billion by the end of 2012. Researchers forecast this market will reach $4-10 billion by 2020.

"The reason this market is growing so quickly is that people are very interested in enhancing their own brain health – at every age,” explained Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains. “They understand that the brain is an asset that they need to protect and keep healthy as long as possible. But one of the main drivers in this is definitely the aging population who want to stay independent as long as they can."

Mobile apps are one of the fastest growing areas, and companies are looking to tap into the mobile market.

In 2011, Lumosity, developer of brain-training exercises for Web and mobile applications, raised $32.5 million, which helped the company pump out more mobile applications.

Intelligent Living Inc. announced this week that the company plans to create mobile game applications for iPhone, iPad and Android devices and tablets from its recent acquisition of MIND360. The company offers a series of online brain games targeted to improve cognitive skills and memory function. 

Brain teasers from MIND360 will soon be developed into mobile apps. (Source: MIND360)

"In an effort to make brain training even more enjoyable, Intelligent Living is in the process of creating an exciting new application that will offer users a complete brain training experience in a mobile format," said Victoria Rudman, CEO of Intelligent Living Inc.

This will be MIND360's first attempt to enter the mobile app game arena. Currently users train their brains at home on their computers, but will be able to connect to MIND360 on the go using their mobile phones in the near future, and the results will be tracked across platforms.

A report from ABI Research projects that the mobile app market could be worth $27 billion by the end of 2013.