2Back Man〜n vs Gwakkamole
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
2Back Man〜n
This game challenges your memory by requiring you to tap when the current color matches the one from two or three steps prior. It offers training modes with customizable color variations and speed to enhance cognitive skills.
- Color matching 'n-back' task
- 2-back and 3-back modes
- Training mode
- Customizable settings
- Memory skill enhancement
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Just click when the same color as the two before has come! It is trained memory skills while playing! ・2 back・・・Click on the two previous ・3 back・・・Click in the three previous Without being misled by the cute face, and try to click only when the same color. You can practice in the training mode. By changing the settings, such as color variations and speed, it is possible to training.
Gwakkamole
This game trains inhibitory control, a key executive function, through engaging gameplay. Players must quickly identify and smash specific targets while avoiding others to improve cognitive skills. It's part of a research-backed suite developed by leading universities.
- Inhibitory control training
- Executive function development
- Engaging target-smashing gameplay
- Research-backed cognitive training
- Part of Smart Suite
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Gwakkamole is a game designed to train inhibitory control, a subskill of executive functions. Inhibitory control involves being able to control one’s attention, behavior, thoughts, and/or emotions to override a strong internal predisposition or external lure, and instead do what’s more appropriate or needed (Diamond, 2013). Players need to smash avocados that have no hat or that tip their hat but avoid smashing avocados with spiky hats or with electric hats. How does this support learning? Executive functions refer to a set of top-down, goal-oriented cognitive processes that enable people to control, monitor and plan behaviors and emotions. Miyake and Friedman’s model supports a unity-and-diversity view of EF in that it incorporates the three distinct but related components of EF: inhibitory control, task-switching and updating (Miyake et al., 2000). What is the research evidence? Our research suggests that Gwakkamole is an effective way to train inhibitory control. Homer, B.D., Ober, T., Rose, M., MacNamara, A., Mayer, R., & Plass, J.L. (2019). Speed Versus Accuracy: Implications of Adolescents' Neurocognitive Developments in a Digital Game to Train Executive Functions. Mind, Brain, and Education, 13(1), 41–52. DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12189 Research has found that EF is related to performance in literacy and math along with long-term gains in school performance and academic readiness (Blair & Razza, 2007; Brock, Rimm-Kaufman, Nathanson, & Grimm, 2009; St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole, 2006; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2010) and that disparities in EF among preschool children from low-income versus high-income homes may contribute to the achievement gap (Blair & Razza, 2007; Noble, McCandliss, & Farah, 2007). This game is part of the Smart Suite, created by New York University’s CREATE lab in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, and The Graduate Center, CUNY. The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A150417 to the University of California, Santa Barbara. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Gwakkamole at 4.8 against 2Back Man〜n's 4.0. Gwakkamole also leads on ratings volume (14 vs 1). 2Back Man〜n's advantage is iOS requirement (6.0 vs 12.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Gwakkamole holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gwakkamole has 14 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of 2Back Man〜n's written reviews are positive against 80% of Gwakkamole's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
| Parameter | 2Back Man〜n | Gwakkamole |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) | 4.8 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better | 80.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 39 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 169 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 2ka | New York University |
Customer experience
2Back Man〜n
Gwakkamole
In-app purchases
2Back Man〜n
No in-app purchases
Gwakkamole
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 2Back Man〜n free?
Is Gwakkamole free?
Which has better reviews, 2Back Man〜n or Gwakkamole?
Do 2Back Man〜n or Gwakkamole have ads?
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