Skip to main content

The incredibly ambitious goal of the addictive Brain Games

“We’re creating a televised encyclopedia of the human brain.”

That’s the ambitious goal of an incredibly addictive series returning tonight on National Geographic: Brain Games.

The 20 new episodes follow a first season that became the network’s highest-rated new series ever. Its success has led the network to create a somewhat similar show, Duck Echoes Don’t Quack, on which Michael Ian Black, Tom Papa, and Seth Herzog test hypothesis, like whether or not it’s possible to eat six saltine crackers in a minute (it is not, because I tried at a National Geographic press conference for the show, and it is really weird and disturbing—try it, you’ll see).

The man whose goal it is to create that encyclopedia is executive producer Jerry Kolber, a producer perhaps previously best known for producing Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. “What we’re really creating here now isn’t just a cool opportunity to learn about your brain. We’ve really taken on this idea that we’re creating a televised encyclopedia of the human brain, done in a way that’s completely interactive that pulls you in,” he told me a few days ago. Kolber said that, whenever the series may end, “whether it’s 35, 55, 100 episodes, if you watch Brain Games consistently, you will have such a more profound understanding of how your brain works—how you behave, how other people behave.”

That’s already happening. It’s both visual and interactive, and also ridiculously engrossing—for me, that’s because of the interactivity, which disguises the learning. The games, like the one below, let us demonstrate these principles while we’re watching. Up this season: trust, risk, addiction, and attraction, among other subjects.

Kolber and producers “absolutely, we were surprised at how big the appeal was,” especially because “adults of every age watch this show with kids.” This season, because “we just heard over and over that people just love the games,” he promises “bigger games, better games, games that you’ve never seen before,” and says the show “really got a lot bigger and bolder.”

He says “forget the ratings, forget the Emmy nomination”—he’s just glad that the show can perhaps reach kids who are passionate about the subject but not stimulated by their classes. “I always thought, wouldn’t it be great to come up with a new way to teach science and make it entertaining? Brain Games is, in some ways, the show that someone had made for me when I was in junior high or high school,” Kolber said.

Jason Silva, the show’s host, is familiar with guiding people through complex or mind-bending ideas in an visually stimulating environment; just watch his Shots of Awe videos, such as the one that went viral, Existential Bummer.

“My greatest hope is that always people would enjoy that content that is smart and cool. There’s been a trend of stupefying audiences with dumb reality content … there was a fear that, ‘Can smart ever really be big?’” But he says that, besides things such as TED Talks, the success of Brain Games shows “there’s an audience that wants knowledge, that wants ideas, that wants to learn, so to be able to deliver that in a package that was entertaining and kids love, but their parents love it too.”


View the original article here

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

<b>Reality TV</b> gets its own Comic-Con with Audrina Patridge, Nick <b>...</b>

Reality TV gets its own Comic-Con with Audrina Patridge, Nick Cannon and more | Show Tracker | Los Angeles Timesbody {background-color:#ffffff !important;}ul#root li.navLink a {padding-top:17px; padding-right:4px; padding-bottom:16px; padding-left: 5px;} Subscribe/Manage Account Place An Ad LAT Store Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals More Classifieds Custom Publishing Entertainment HOME LOCAL L.A. Now Politics Crime Education O.C. Westside Neighborhoods Environment Obituaries Findlocal U.S. Politics Now Top of the Ticket Science & Environment Obituaries Religion WORLD Afghanistan & Pakistan Africa Asia Europe Iran Iraq Latin America Mexico Under Siege Middle East Business Money & Co. Technology Personal Finance Small Business Company Town Jobs Real Estate Autos SPORTS Lakers Clippers Dodgers Angels USC UCLA Kings Ducks Soccer High Schools Bleacher Report ENTERTA...

Kourtney Kardashian Announces New Clothing Line

« Kanye West Wears Kim Kardashian Nude Pic Over His Heart | Home | Kelly Clarkson And Brandon Blackstock Got Married This Weekend » October 21, 2013 02:07 PM by Stephanie Gustafson Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian are well known for starring in today’s hottest reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. But the three sisters are intent on expanding their reach beyond the realm of entertainment. They’ve already made headway with the Kardashian Kollection and now, are continuing to take on the fashion world with a brand new clothing line. Kardashian fans across the nation love donning the creations of their idols, Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian. The sisters have continually impressed with the recessionista outfits made possible through the popular Kardashian Kollection. Now, though, the trio have set their sites on high-end fashion, which is why they’re excited to announce the debut of a new collaboration with Lipsy. During a recent chat with Hello Magazine, Kourtney Kardashi...

Midwife Linda Abbott returns to Leeds General in tonight’s One Born Every Minute

Home > Factual > Midwife Linda Abbott returns to Leeds General in tonight’s One Born Every Minute January 30th, 2013 by Lisa McGarry. One Born Every Minute returns to Channel 4 tonight for the fifth episode of it’s current season and this evening’s instalment sees the return of a familiar face. Midwife Linda Abbott is back in Leeds General, after retiring only twelve months ago. The seasoned practitioner realised that she wasn’t ready to put the world of work and child bearing behind her and it was lucky she did, as the staff and patients at the hospital certainly missed her presence. She describes herself as an ‘old bird’ her years of experience are just whats needed, especially in two of tonight’s cases. The episode focuses on two fathers with very different bedside manners and approaches to their partners and expanding families. Joel could not be more attentive to his wife Rachel and is keen that it is just him and her alone when their baby is delivered.. Rachel and Joel’s...