Memory Training with Online Games [Guest Post]

People will find that memory training with online games will help them a lot, regardless of the specific types of online games that they choose. Having a good memory is one of the skills that will more or less come in handy in almost all situations. There are few occasions where people will regret having trained and effective memories. Some of the memory training that people will do in the context of online games might be a skill that they can draw from in other situations as well, which is just another reason to do it.

There are actual memory training games that people can play online themselves. Many of these games will ask people to memorize sequences of letters and numbers. Others (like Concentration - the Memory Games) will present people with a lot of different images, and they will have to try to correctly point out where the images were on the screen and what they were.

These sorts of memory training games will tend to focus on helping people develop their working memory as well as their short-term memory. Working memory is extremely important for almost all tasks. People need to be able to hold certain ideas in their heads for long periods of time, which is where working memory is involved.

However, it's difficult for people to be able to accomplish complicated tasks if they have a hard time committing anything to memory, which is why it is still important for people to develop their short-term memory skills. Working memory, procedural memory, and short-term memory will all influence one another. People should never assume that one type of memory is important and the others are not, and they will tend to develop all of these skills with memory training.

Online games are also beneficial for the people who are doing memory training because they have to remember all of the rules. Whether they are playing games at the 7sultans casino or doing games that were intended to be memory training exercises, they will still have to follow a certain set of rules in order to make everything work. Having to follow these rules and commit them to memory, while also applying them at the right time, is a good way of convincing people to use a lot of different skills at once. This will tend to strengthen anyone's memory.

Memory training is often a matter of exposing the mind to new information as well. People tend to think that repetition is always important with memory training. It certainly is, but people cannot just keep on repeating the same information to themselves over and over again. They need to be able to really find a way to seek out novel pieces of information.

This will tend to sharpen some of the skills that people need when it comes to learning and memory in general. Some memory training games will tend to focus on specialized skills. However, strengthening a lot of different cognitive skills all at once will usually help people when it comes to becoming more proficient at games and everything else.

Visual Memory Benefits at Online Gaming [Guest Post]

Some people might be interested in the visual memory benefits at online gaming. Obviously, online gaming is not the sort of thing that people are going to do purely for the supplementary benefits. Online gaming is not like going to the gym. People will still enjoy online gaming purely for its own sake. However, the visual memory enhancements can still function as a very real side benefit that a lot of people might find interesting and noteworthy.

The visual memory benefits that people can expect with online gaming will all vary, of course, depending on the nature of the game. Games where the screens change more quickly will tend to promote a stronger visual memory in most cases. The games that have a tendency to rely on strategy and visualization will often select for the people who already have great visual memory capabilities. These people will only find those skills increase as a result.

A person's visual memory is still subtly different from other forms of memory. People have to memorize a lot of details when using their visual memories. With memory that is more verbal in nature, people can use some interpretation that will help them through some of the more difficult parts of memorizing anything. However, when it comes to visual memory, people will often have to rely on what they see specifically and what they did see, especially when it comes to visual memory in gaming.

People never know which details are going to be important in online gaming. As such, they need to work even harder at memorizing a lot of different images within the games. This sort of thing is becoming more and more difficult, because the visual aspects of online gaming have only gotten better with time. This tends to mean that the visual fields that people will see have gotten much more complex as well. Images that are more complex are harder to memorize in their entirety.

However, people who play games of all kinds will still try to rise to the challenge, which only means that their visual capabilities will tend to get better and better as they enjoy more games. People in general tend to learn through playing more than anything else. Being able to develop sharper skills as a result of gaming is a special opportunity. As the graphics in games get better and better, people will really be in a position where they have to rely on their memories more and more. This just means that they will have to focus on developing their memories further, which will tend to occur naturally anyway.

People will find that a lot of skills will improve after they put in some time at the redflush casino. Many different casino games will test a lot of different skills, including visual skills. In the case of visual memory, people will often have seconds to commit something complex to memory in the first place. Online casino games give people a strong incentive to win, and many people will become more skilled across the board in order to make that happen.

Memory and Its Use in Decision-making [Guest Post]

Whether you’re playing lottery or having fun with poker or casino games, what you’re focusing on is the potential victory that could follow you if you play well. But is your memory critical when it comes to your ability to make decisions?

For instance, if your memory is very strong towards a certain meal, would you find that meal very desirable such that ordering it another time would be at the top of your priority the next time you visit a restaurant?

University of Basel psychologists conducted a study on this topic to determine how memory was likely to affect choices. They discovered that people were biased towards options which they remembered most. But they rejected choices which were unattractive the first time they came into contact with them.

How Memory Influences Your Decision in Gambling

You see, the aforementioned research was carried out on hungry people, and it involved presenting them with two different snacks repeatedly so they could rate them according to taste and financial value.

The snacks that were rated highest were most remembered. But when participants could not recall a particular snack, they made choices based on chances as opposed to informed decisions. However, when the same group of participants remembered only one particular snack, things became interesting.

The most interesting observation in this study was that when this one particular snack was remembered, there were some activities happening between the part of the brain that consolidates memory and the part which actually makes decisions. These activities increased especially when one snack was remembered.

Now, when we move away from this study and into the world of gambling, we still find that the same thing applies when it comes to our abilities to make decisions. Let’s take poker or any other strategy game as an example. If you can master a particular pattern which has rewarded you with profits several times, then you’re likely to recall the exact steps that made you win. And to keep winning with this strategy, your memory has to play a role in remembering the exact steps and procedures to winning your way to the jackpot prize.

Why You Can’t Gamble If You Lack Sound Decision-making Abilities

A professional gambler may lose several times. But in no way will they keep losing and not striking one big win that will cover for the lost money which went down the drains. It boils down to their thinking capacity. Anyone who gambles as a professional is certainly smarter than the average Joe. If you don’t have a certain degree of decision-making ability, you will be like the rest who approach online casinos with the idea that they will be lucky enough to win the jackpot. You certainly don’t want to rely on chances when playing at a casino like www.instacasino.com/uk/home.

Not everyone can make sober judgments. Gambling requires some degree of decision-making ability. Ask a professional gambler, and if they are willing to tell you their secret, they will give you the same answer. The answer lies with their mindset and ability to make critical decisions and make them correctly too.

Benefits of Online Memory Games [Guest Post]

Games are a fun and worthwhile activity that many enjoy. Not only do they have major entertainment value, each type can offer its own unique benefits. For instance, physical games make us healthy and strengthen our bodies, intellectual games increase our knowledge, and memory games help our brains become sharper.

Do you have difficulty remembering names or faces? What about paying attention during a lecture? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, believe it or not, memory enhancing games are the way to go.

Why are these types of games so great? Check out just a few of the reasons below:

Helps Exercise the Brain

When you play online memory games on a consistent basis, you are actually exercising the brain and increasing its level of alertness. You can reap this benefit from playing memory games for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour every day.

Helps Improve Concentration and Focus

A distracted mind cannot concentrate. And, in this digital age, where there are so many options, concentration and focus levels are not what they were.

However, when we play entertaining, rewarding, and challenging activities (think real money memory games like the ones at www.spelautomater.se that keep and retain our attention) we can help boost our levels of concentration and focus.

Helps Prevent Memory-related Illnesses like Alzheimer’s

As we age, memory loss is inevitable. But, while it cannot be halted, it can be slowed with the help of online memory games. When you play these types of games and exercise your brain on a regular basis, the brain is being active, which it can help significantly slow down memory-related diseases and illnesses.

Helps Enhance Other Brain Functions

There are some who believe that that memory games can not be beneficial or useful in their day-to-day life. But, this is completely untrue. When someone plays memory and brain games on a regular basis, not only will you be able to enhance your memory but other skills as well. Some of these include focus, concentration, cognitive skills, attention level, and reading and reasoning skills.

Memory games were created to help the brain think critically and strategically. And, when you begin to master the games that you are playing right now, there are a ton of other memory games, with various levels of difficulty, that can train and boost the brain's power holistically.

Memory Changing Categories

To the naked eye, it may seem that the games on the memory game website are just that. But, this perception will change after playing one or two games. One of the best games to try is called the brain reflection test. This type of game helps determine the brain's ability to learn about purpose and human nature.

Brain stretching is another fun way to boost the brain's power. This type of game usually comes in the form of a mathematical or crossword puzzle. These games make sure that you use critical thinking and logic to find the solution.

Brain stimulation activities, like Sudoku, are great for keeping the brain healthy. In Sudoku, the player must enter numbers (from 1-9) so that each row and column has one instance of each numeral. In order to successfully complete a game like Sudoku, one must use their logical minds and patience, two things that strengthen the brain.

Memory games are an efficient and entertaining way to pass the time and develop your cognitive skills. And, that's not all, they can help boost your confidence and self esteem. Furthermore, if played on a regular basis, these games can increase the brain's power and make you wiser and sharper.

Return of the Holiday Coupon

Another year ends and once again, we wish you and your loved ones happy holidays with a 33% discount on a single purchase of the game.

So, until the end of the year, when using our Discount Coupon a single license of Concentration - the Memory Games will cost you only 10 bucks.

This offer is valid only for a limited period! Discounted purchase is available in both the Galleus Web Store and the integrated eSeller.

To buy Concenration - the Memory Games 5.01 for a discounted price, simply follow this link. Our five dollar discount will be automatically applied on your purchase. Should you have any problems with the coupon, please, follow our instructions on the manual purchase, described in a previous post. Simply replace the outdated CMG50 coupon code with the new CPN3282577795.

Purchase with Discount Coupon »
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21: Ways to Train Your Brain [Guest Post]

Working on your focus and concentration can improve your overall intelligence, stave off debilitating diseases like Alzheimer’s, and give you a more alert, more in tune day-to-day life.

A lot of people look to specialized games and riddles when it’s time to exercise their brains. And while they certainly come in handy and allow you to work on concentration and overall cognitive function, a lot of games you wouldn’t expect can produce the same results.

Take blackjack as an example. Blackjack, or 21 as it’s often called, is one of the most popular games out there period. Whether it’s at an online casino, a land-based casino or at your kitchen table, 21 is wildly popular and easy to play.

But how does it qualify as a brain training game?

Blackjack can help you in a few essential areas, including memory, math and even on-the-spot reasoning/rationalization.

Due to the nature of this game, if you’re expected to be any good at playing and hope to actually win, you will need to memorize certain things about the game. For instance: how many cards have been dealt with a 10 value as opposed to how many cards are left in the deck?

There are 16 cards in a 52-card deck with the value of 10, and more often than not, it’s going to help to know the odds of catching one of these cards either to put you in a good position to best the dealer’s hand or to keep you from busting out of the hand by totaling over 21.

You don’t have the luxury of sitting around all day and plotting your next move, either. When you play online blackjack, you have to think fast. You will eventually learn to recognize your odds in a split second. You’ll take in how much to bet, whether to hit or stay, what the dealer’s possibilities are, etc, all in the blink of an eye.

When you learn how to play and become adept in blackjack, you’re actually training your brain in many ways which will help you in other areas of life.

Not everyone out there is a gambler, to be sure, but simply playing a few rounds for fun is an easy and effective brain exercise.

Associative Play

Anbother video tutorial, this time about the Associative Play feature of Concentration - the Memory Games. Both 'related image' association and simple 'image to description' association are covered.

When two card sets in a card set pack allow image associations the image association feature is enabled. When playing in this mode card pairs are made of closely related images, not identical ones.

Card sets with subtitle descriptions enable another feature: simple association. Images are then paired with their descriptions.

Associative Play • Pounce and Wag and Braille Script Demo

For a full effect watch the video in 720p HD and full screen.

Galleus HD Videos on YouTube »
Associative Card Sets [5.0] »
Assocciative Duel Play [5.0] »

Happy Holydays Discount

We'd like to wish you and your loved ones happy holidays. And we'd like to do it with a $5 discount, available until the end of the month.

So, be quick, if you use our Discount Coupon on purchase, a single license of Concentration - the memory Games will cost you only 10 bucks.

This offer is valid only for a limited period! Discounted purchase is available in both the Galleus Web Store and the integrated eSeller.

To buy Concenration - the Memory Games 5.01 for a discounted price, simply follow this link. Our five dollar discount will be automatically applied on your purchase. Should you have any problems with the coupon, please, follow our instructions on the manual purchase, described in a previous post. Simply replace the outdated CMG50 coupon code with the new CPN0852573345.

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Concentration - the Memory Games 5.01

Changes in the Blog Feed service have forced us to update the Automatic Blog Update Notification feature of Concentration - the Memory Games, and release a quick fix. 5.01 is a minor update.

You do need to uninstall previous versions of Concentration - the Memory Games, in fact, it's recommended not to uninstall them. Just download the new installer, run setup and follow the instructions.

Download Installer Executable »

Sound Card Sets

This is the first one of a series of video tutorials about features of Concentration - the Memory Games. Most of these HD videos will demonstrate some important aspects of the program.

This time: Sound Card Sets, a unique game feature that enables the matching of sound effects instead of images.

Some of the card sets available for download assign individual card sounds to every single cards in the set. When playing with a sound set players have to match identical sounds instead of identical images. In some sets card face images might help identification, in other sets they are all the same.

A preview of these customized sounds is available in the card set preview dialog.

Sound Card Sets • Assorted Sounds and Chromatic Scale Demo

For a full effect watch the video in 720p HD and full screen.

Galleus HD Videos on YouTube »

Limited Offer: Discount Coupon for Release 5.0

We're so happy for the official 5.0 release, we'd like to share it with you, and for a great price.

For 30 days, until the 18th of October, 2009 and if you use our Discount Coupon, a single license of Concentration - the memory Games will cost you 5 bucks less, only US$10.

But be quick: this offer is valid only for a limited period! Discounted purchase is only available in the Galleus Web Store.

To buy Concenration - the Memory Games 5.0 for a discounted price, simply follow this link. Our five dollar discount will be automatically applied on your purchase. Should you have any problems with the coupon, please, follow our instructions on the manual purchase.

Manual Checkout with Coupon Discount

First click here to start the checkout process. Accept the Terms of Sale, and review your shopping cart data. You'll see an empty Coupon Code field. Please, enter CMG50 into the text field and click Validate Coupon. If you get an error message, the Coupon Code has probably expired. If not, move on to Step 2.

Coupon Discount: Step 1 • Enter Coupon Code and Click "Validate Coupon"

If the Coupon Code is valid, you can see the discount value just below the Subtotal in your shopping cart. Please fill in all necessary data and proceed to checkout.

Coupon Discount: Step 2 • Check Discount Value

On the order confirmation page you can review you order details. Please check that the discount value (Coupon) and the Grand Total reflect the discount.

Coupon Discount: Step 3 • Verify Discount on Checkout

If everything is OK, place your order and wait for the confirmation email.

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Pounce and Wag [Card Sets]

Pounce and Wag are the first associative card sets available. Each set has the same functionality as a simple concentration card set has, but you can adjust settings to play by matching related kitten and puppy images.

This type of association exercises different parts of your brain than identical image matching does.

Card Set Properties

• Name: Pounce, Wag
• Languages:   
• Image source: Andy Nortnik
• Distribution: Freeware
• Card Count: 24 + 1, 24 + 1
• Color Depth: 24 bit (16 million colors)
• Additional Sounds: Yes
• Additional Background: No
• Image association: Yes
• Animated card faces: No
• Direct download: 1024 x 768 (802 816 B)

Preview

Wag (Large) • Normal Game Play

Pounce And Wag (Large) • Associative Game Play

To get more insight on these brand new card sets go their description page on the Galleus site. Try them, and then consider spending another minute to rate them. Thank you.

Note

Version 5.0 of Concentration - the Memory Games is required to enable image associations. If you use an earlier version of the game, card sets will function as separate, individual sets.

Pounce and Wag Card Sets Details »
More Card Sets »
More on Associative Card Sets »

Concentration - the Memory Games 5.0

Concentration - the Memory Games is back with a new release, and the release covers various card set releases as well. 5.0 is a major update with numerous interesting features.

Game play has never been so diverse. Version 5.0 introduces new game elements and additional preferences to help you find Your way to play concentration.

A few years back I put a poll on the Galleus site to ask you opinion about the most wanted features of Concentration - the Memory Games. Two of the top-three feature request are present in this new release. As well as many others. The (almost) full feature list is:

• Card sets with Image association support. Read more »
• Card sets with Animated card faces.
• Multi-game matches.
• Full screen mode. Read more »
• New Game Wizard for quick setting changes. Read more »
• Number of flipped pairs and successful flips shown in a tool tip over achieved points.
• Stress-free game play. Read more »
• View/hide status bar.
• Label overlays to play on a projector.
• Preview all cards before play.
• Give up option during play.
• Disable losing sound option. Read more »
• Card set icons with alpha transparency.
• Old, 16-color card sets are optional at installation and can be removed.
• Repeat last individual card sound.
• Pause game.
• Automatic blog update notification.
• Some bug fixes.
• New installer.

The new Installer Wizard complies with the Windows installer UI standars.

Installer: Full Install • With Card Set Downloads Included

Travel Stamps [Card Set]

Another animated card set with a humble design.

Travel around the world and collect travel stamps on your suitcase. The card design is simple, yet it's quite fun to play with.

Card Set Properties

• Name: Travel Stamps
• Languages:   
• Image source: Office Clipart
• Distribution: Freeware
• Card Count: 24 + 1
• Color Depth: 24 bit (16 million colors)
• Additional Sounds: No
• Additional Background: Yes
• Image association: No
• Animated card faces: Yes
• Direct download: 1280 x 1024 (458 752 B)

Preview

Travel Stamps (Extra Large) • Normal Game Play

To get more insight on this brand new card set go its description page on the Galleus site. Try it, and then consider spending another minute to rate it. Thank you.

Note

Version 5.0 of Concentration - the Memory Games is required to show card face animations. If you use an earlier version of the game, card face images will remain still.

Travel Stamps Card Set Details »
More Card Sets »

Monkey Business [Card Set]

An animated memory game? Yes, it's true. This is the first animated card set for Concentration the Memory Games, but there's more to follow.

Follow the adventures of a funny monkey, who somersaults, trikes, eats bananas, plays jokes on you. And the best part is: he's animated. A great card set for kids.

Monkey Business opens a new era in the history of Concentration - the Memory Games. The large card set is included in the basic installer, so hopefully more and more users will notice that it's now possible to play with animated cards.

Card Set Properties

• Name: Monkey Business
• Languages:   
• Image source: Animation Factory
• Distribution: Freeware
• Card Count: 24 + 1
• Color Depth: 24 bit (16 million colors)
• Additional Sounds: No
• Additional Background: No
• Image association: No
• Animated card faces: Yes
• Direct download: 1024 x 768 (888 832 B) • 1280 x 1024 (1 236 992 B)

Preview

Monkey Business (Large) • Normal Game Play

To get more insight on this brand new card set go its description page on the Galleus site. Try it, and then consider spending another minute to rate it. Thank you.

Note

Version 5.0 of Concentration - the Memory Games is required to show card face animations. If you use an earlier version of the game, card face images will remain still.

Monkey Business Card Set Details »
More Card Sets »

Game Wizard [5.0]

With every new release of Concentration - the Memory Games a dozen new game options are introduced. Although the Option dialog box has a standardized user interface and a clean look and feel, its complexity might scare off less experienced users.

For players who don't want to temper with advanced game options and sophisticated preferences, version 5.0 introduces Game Wizard: to set basic game options step by step.

To start the Game Wizard select Game / New / Game Wizard. After the welcome screen you can change basic game options such as:

• Player one and/or two.
• Card set.
• Game mode.
• Board size.
• Bonus elements.

Every time the value of a step is unequivocal, the step is skipped.

Game Wizard: Players • Select Regular or Generic Players in 5.0

Game Wizard: Card Sets • Select or Preview Card Sets in 5.0

When all the steps are completed the Game Wizard shows a confirmation page to summarize the changes you made. In that point you can accept the changes and start a new game, or go back any number of steps to reset some options.

Game Wizard: Confirm Changes • Final Page of the Game Wizard in 5.0

When you click Finish, Game Wizard always starts a new game. To replay the previous game, to start a tournament or a stress-free game use menu items in the Game menu. To change advanced options, click Options in the Options menu.

Note

In this moment Concentration - the Memory Games 5.0 is not yet available. That's why this post is categorized under Feature Preview.

Stress-free Games [5.0]

There are many different kinds of users of Concentration - the Memory Games. Some of you play concentration for the thrills: racing against the clock, trying to break your old high score. And there are others who just want to Play, with a capital P, not interested in timers and scores, but bothered by anything that distracts them.

Some of these players suggested some modifications, I hope these minor changes will make hundreds happier.

In Concentration - the Memory Games 5.0 you'll be able to play stress-free games. This means that you don't need to worry about scores and timers, winners and losers: just find matching pairs on the field. When starting a Stress-free Game (Game / New / Stress-free Game) you should know several things:

• In single player games there's no timing and no score is calculated.
• Since there's no score the results are not added to your personal statistics.
• In dual player modes there's no scoring.
• In single player mode at the end of the game the winning sound is played, no matter what.
• There's no winner announced in dual player modes.
• When playing against a computer opponent the winning sound is played at the end of the game, no matter what.
• When playing against a human opponent no sound is played at the end of the game.

The status bar displays player information, but show N/A instead of time and score. If you don't want to see this info, in 5.0 you can hide the entire status bar as well. On the screen shot you see the Assorted Sounds sound card set.

Stress-free Game Mode • Relax, No Need To Worry

There's a drawback, however. Since there's no scoring, no results are saved to the statistics, no high scores are made. To make sure this doesn't cause any disappointment, a new waring has been introduced. Whenever a stress-free game starts this waring is displayed. Of course, you can disable any warnings and reminders in the game.

Stress-free Game Mode Warning • Just to Make Sure

Winning Sound

Some of you just asked if there was a way to disable losing sound, which can be annoying. Well, now there is, you can configure sound options and replace the sound that's played when you don't break a high score.

Of course, in this case scores and statistics are kept this is just a sound preference not affecting other game features.

Disabled Losing Sound • Never Hear it Again If it Annoys You

Note

In this moment Concentration - the Memory Games 5.0 is not yet available. That's why this post is categorized under Feature Preview.

Full-screen Mode [5.0]

In the first release of Concentration - the Memory Games the game window had a fixed size. With version 3.0 the window properties were changed to allow the maximized game window to cover the desktop. 5.0 introduces a full-screen mode and some related enhancements.

Full-screen mode is an option in many windowed applications, probably your word processor or browser applications have it, too. Just press the F11 key and check it out. From the next release you can play Concentration - the Memory Games on full-screen as well.

You have more space to play, you have less visual elements to distract you. You can definitely focus on the game. Take a look at the next demo screen shot (click both images to enlarge). We used our first animated card set, Travel Stamps, to demo this feature.

Full-screen Mode • More Space on the Game Board in Concentration - the Memory Games 5.0 (Click to Enlarge)

In previous versions you had an option to hide the toolbar. In version 5.0 you can hide the status bar as well (both from the new View menu or the Options / Preferences / View option page).

Note

In this moment neither Concentration - the Memory Games 5.0 nor the Travel Stamps animated card set is available. That's why this post is categorized under Feature Preview.

Associative Duel Play [5.0]

Duel is a unique two-player game mode in Concentration - the Memory Games. You can play it against a friend or against a computer opponent. The deck is split and the game is quite unlike traditional flip over.

Previously associative play was disabled when the user selected duel mode. With the new associative card sets it really makes sense to play a duel with custom associations enabled. So, it will be an option in the 5.0 release. We used the Pounce and Wag card sets to create the following demo screen shot.

Associative Duel Play • 5.0 Enables Associative Play in Duel Mode

Since the deck is split, Player 1 (upper half) plays with the "Pounce and Wag (Wag)" while Player 2 (lower half) with the "Pounce and Wag (Pounce)" card set. In this game mode the sets' respective card backs are used as well.

Note

At the moment neither Concentration - the Memory Games 5.0 nor the Pounce and Wag card set pack is available. That's why this post is categorized under Feature Preview.

Associative Card Sets Feature Preview »

Associative Card Sets [5.0]

There's always been something called Associative Play in Concentration - the Memory Games (well, to be more precise it was introduced in version 3.0), it allowed the player to match card images to their related descriptions.

With the upcoming 5.0 release the concept of the associative card sets will be extended. Let me give you a glimpse of this new feature. I'll use a "work in progress" card set, Pounce and Wag to demonstrate what this is all about.

In previous releases, when you used a card set that came with subtitle tool tips (small textual descriptions of the card face images) Associative play became available. If you wanted to match card faces to descriptions, you just checked the proper check-box in the Options / Game Type.

Associative Play • 5.0 Introduces Image Associations

For version 5.0 with the introduction of image associations your options and the configuration interface have been extended. When image association is enabled for card sets in an installed card set pack, a small yellow bubble image is overlaid on the card set icon (you can also check this property in the card set property list). Also, the name of the card set, displayed in the Card type combo always uses the "Pack name (Set name)" format for associative sets.

Associative Play • 5.0 Simple and Custom Associations

In version 5.0 you'll find a new node in the Option tree: Associative Play. Select No associative play to match identical card images. By choosing the Simple association option you can play the exact same text-based association as in previous versions of the game. In this case the values of the Custom association combo boxes are set and they are disabled. (Note that this option is not available when the selected card set has no subtitle tool tips.) Nothing really new so far...

But when you select the Customize association option these combo boxes become enabled and you're free to select any combination. In this example you see that only the "Pounce and Wag (Pounce)" set has subtitle tool tips, so description matching is only available for that set (marked by the " (text)" suffix). You have several options:

1. Pounce + Pounce • Same as the No associative play option.
2. Pounce + Pounce (text) • Same as the Simple association option.
3. Pounce (text) + Pounce • Almost exactly the same as option 2.
4. Pounce (text) + Pounce (text) • A strange combination to match descriptions to descriptions.

The really cool option is the penultimate one:

5. Pounce + Wag • This is the option this post is about. You can match images of Pounce to images of Wag. See next screen shot.
6. Pounce (text) + Wag • Yes, you can play with the descriptions of one set and the images of another one. Sounds strange, but since the card faces are related, card descriptions are, too.

Image Associations • An Example of an Associative Pair in 5.0

This type of association exercises different parts of your brain than identical image matching does.

More "Extreme" Configurations

The choices are endless... If you play a game in which a Pair consists of let's say: Three identical cards, then you might configure the gameplay to match Pounce + Wag + Pounce (text), that is: an image to an associative image to an associative text.

If an associative card set pack contains more card sets, it's even possible to match three or four related images (when playing with the three is a pair or four is a pair options.). Imagine a card set with euro coin tails and various other associative sets with the euro coin head images of the respective member countries.

And to leave the best for last, associative play will also be available for sound sets. Matching images of household utensils to the sounds they make seems to be fun.

Final Note

At the moment neither Concentration - the Memory Games 5.0 nor the Pounce and Wag card set pack is available. That's why this post is categorized under Feature Preview.

Update on Associative Card Sets and Duel Mode »