Sudoku: The Ultimate Brain Sharpener Game On PC

Sudoku despite sharing the same name with a bacterial zoonotic disease is anything but good for you. As much as we want to compare our subject with its infectious counterpart, that is a topic for another day. We’ll take an overview of the origins of this game and the benefits it brings to our psyche for today. With that out of the way, let’s take a quick dive into the brain-twisting world of modern Sudoku.

The concept of modern Sudoku has been around since the late 19th century. Although the rules are different, early French puzzle-makers began creating number puzzles by exploiting the Magic Squares from recreational mathematics. Evidence of these puzzles was published in the Paris daily publication Le Siècle in 1892.

What makes the early numbers game unique from the modern Sudoku we know today is the inclusion of double-digit numbers. Three years later, a more refined version of the numbers game appeared on Le Siècle’s rival La France that contained only the numbers 1-9. The only difference is that the version from La France did not contain any sub squares and only led to a single solution.

The Freelance Puzzle Constructor from Connersville, Indiana

The invention of modern Sudoku is vague for the most part. Historians and enthusiasts of the game worked tirelessly to trace the game’s origins. It points to a 74-year-old freelance puzzle constructor from Connersville, Indiana.
 

Image Source: Sudoku gameplay

 
Howard Garns who passed away in 1989, was coined as the father of modern Sudoku. He anonymously submitted a game called Number Place to Dell Magazine in 1979. Interestingly enough, it was not until the Numbers Place game was introduced in Japan by the Monthly Nikolist as “Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru”(the digits must be single) that the game began its rise to fame. Over the years, the lengthy title will evolve into Sudoku and the rest is history.

Even though Howard Garns never got the chance to see his “Numbers Place” game evolve into a worldwide phenomenon; future generations will forever reap the benefits of his creation. Sudoku, for the most part, is more than just a challenging puzzle. It brings long-term benefits we never thought we could get from playing. With that said, we collated some of the said benefits for you to explore.

Have A Sharper Brain Later In Life

One of the benefits of playing crosswords or puzzle games like Sudoku is having a sharper brain later in life. It’s based on a study conducted by the University of Exeter Medical School and King’s College London. The study involves data collected from over 17,000 adults ages 50 and over and was presented in 2017 at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). A healthy lifestyle paired with regular puzzle gaming plays a significant role in keeping the brain sharp and active.

In addition to the first benefit, active puzzling can slow the onset of Dementia based on the study highlighted above. It was mentioned that participants who play puzzles performed better on various tasks that assess reasoning, attention, and memory.
 

Image Source: Sudoku gameplay

Boost Learning of Math-Related Skills

Puzzles like Sudoku at an early age also boost learning of Math-related skills as per an article posted by the University of Chicago. The article states that children who engage in puzzle games perform better in STEM-related activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

This claim is backed by a study involving 53 child-parent pairs who were recorded for 90-minute sessions. It took place every four months between 26 and 46 months of the kid’s age. The study concludes that children who engage in puzzles have better spatial transformational skills compared to those who do not.

Slash Ten Years From your Brain’s Age

Another study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry states that people over 50 who frequently engage in puzzles like Sudoku have brain function 10 years younger than their current age. The study involved over 19,000 participants who underwent cognitive testing online. It concluded that those who play puzzles show significant speed and accuracy in their performance. The study also states that puzzles like Sudoku help keep our brains working for longer.

Play Sudoku Puzzle Games on PC

Sudoku is but a dot in the ever-growing number of puzzle games in today’s video game market. For what it’s worth, this highly challenging game paved the way for the development of other puzzle game variants. If you are not a fan of number puzzle games, there are a plethora of titles just waiting for you.

Speaking of puzzles, EmulatorPC allows you to access an ever-growing library of free-to-play puzzle games for PC. If you ever need a good exercise for your brain that does not involve numbers, then, head to EmulatorPC. You also get access to thousands of other games across multiple genres too. Enjoy a more seamless PC gaming experience by playing using our EmulatorPC.