PuzzleWalk vs CrushStations

PuzzleWalk is a gamified app where you can walk through cities around the world and solve 'spot the difference' puzzles. The principle of this app is a conversion algorithm between walking step and gaming time. Your accumulated walking steps will be automatically converted to gaming time, so your walking step is key to be a PuzzleWalk master! Your walking steps and puzzle points will give you a final score and make you eligible to receive a gift card every month! More than a hundred of world cities are programmed along with a thousand of spot the difference puzzles. Each city contains 5 to 10 puzzles depending on the level and each puzzle contains 5 different spots on two otherwise similar images. *Notes - Top 3 score-leaders will be given a monetary reward ($10 gift card) at the beginning of every month via email. Decision will be made based on total scores recorded on the leaderboard at midnight of the last day of the month. - The puzzle game will be deactivated during nighttime (10 PM - 8 AM) to avoid sleep disturbances. - Your walking step is well detected when you make continuous horizontal movement and subtle walking movement may not be detected by the app. - The app will update your walking step data every 3 to 5 minutes if walking movement is detected. A walking step tracking page will help you monitor your daily, weekly, and monthly walking performance. *More about PuzzleWalk PuzzleWalk incorporates evidence-based gamification and Behavior Change Techniques (e.g. user instruction, self-monitoring on target performance, contingent rewards, and goal setting) to motivate people to be more physically active in a fun way. The app was developed by the Indiana University School of Public Health and the School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering researchers. The development of PuzzleWalk was funded by the Indiana University Collaborative Research Grants program.

CrushStations is a game designed to train working memory, a subskill of executive functions. Working memory involves holding information in mind and mentally working with it (Diamond, 2013). Players need to remember the color and type of creatures to free them and keep them out of reach of the hungry octopus. 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 CrushStations is an effective way to train working memory. The study supporting this claim will be published soon. 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.