Sight Training Diary: Adam Riley Tests His Eyes

Day One: 21st October, 2007

Anyway, with nice, clear visuals and a very intuitive set of menu screens, it means everything is a breeze to navigate through, which is exactly what is required for a product primarily aimed at the 'non-gamer' sector.  So, getting on with the show, since it is my first time with Sight Training I am encouraged to go through an early test scenario.  This is broken down into three quick sessions, the first being one where I must quickly tap on various red boxes as they appear on-screen, catching them before they then disappear once more.  The second has a set of numbers flash briefly on the screen, leaving the gamer to then input the number afterwards on a standard number pad.  Finally, the last test is the old coin under a cup game, where you must follow the cup with the coin in as it and two empty cups are spun around rapidly.  Completing these three in the quickest and most accurate way leaves me with the sad fact that despite being 25, my eyes are apparently in their 40s.

Going off this result, the game then figures out the best day's training for my eyes, which this time is, quite unsurprisingly, 'Learn the Basics!  Trial Workout'.  To start with, the first task is Symbol Order, where there are twelve empty boxes spread over the two DS screens and a C shape appears in any of those boxes a total of three times, each time pointing in a different direction (up, right, down or left) and appearing in a random box.  This re-occurs at a faster rate each time you input the three directions correctly.  The goal of Symbol Order is to improve your Eye Movement and the ability to shift focus between targets rapidly, such as when you are reading.  The breakdown of scoring is eight points per correct answer and two points for each speed level you reach.  I achieved nine out of ten correct and reached a speed level of eight, meaning my total came to 88/100, which is an 'Advanced' rating and comes complete with a cool looking guy clicking his fingers.  And because of the rating achieved, it appears a 'Hard' mode has now been opened for the next time this test comes around.

Completing the first test means I get the chance to stamp today's date, just as you do with Brain Training, and the reward for one stamp in Sight Training is that 'Custom Training' has now opened up, meaning any activity can be attempted as many times as desired.  On to test two and this time it is Middle Match.  This has players checking a 'C' symbol in the centre of the screen and then trying to find the corresponding directional 'C' on an outer circle of 'C's all pointing in different directions.  At first it starts out quite simple, as you would expect, with the 'C' in the centre lingering for a while, giving your eyes time to scout out the 'C' on the outer circle that is pointing in the same direction.  As it speeds up, though, the 'C's disappear quicker, meaning you need to rely on your peripheral vision to seek out the right answer.  On my first go I got 88/100, meaning 'Advanced', reaching speed level 8, with 9 correct out of 10.  The reason for practicing this one more is that it leads to being able to spot objects in an area outside your central vision, like when tracking an opponent's movement in sports whilst concentrating on what you are currently doing.  It should be noted that failing to get the right answer on one particular level brings the speed level down a notch, meaning the levels of frustration are definitely reduced and you are not left floundering.  But get many right answers in a row and the speed increases considerably and things do suddenly become very hectic indeed!

The third test is Baseball, where the aim is to tap the thrown ball as it either enters the on-screen box or reaches the white line on the gauge on the left-side of the screen.  Depending on how well you connect with the ball you can score a Home Run, Triple, Double or Single…or just miss completely by swinging too early or late.  This tests your Dynamic Visual Acuity and Hand-Eye Co-ordination in tandem, and clearly these two elements together are not my forte since I only got 54/100, being rated as an Amateur!  Ah well, onwards and upwards…The fourth and final challenge is Boxing, where a hooded chap holding mitts lifts them up into different positions, sometimes one at a time, other times both together, and even does dummy lifts before lifting the other hand up quickly to try and catch you off-guard.  The aim is to tap the centre of each mitt before he puts them down again.  At certain times a directional arrow will appear on-screen and a quick stylus swipe in that direction is required to dodge his punch.  This really does prove to be lots of fun and on the first go I ended up with Pro status due to a score of 90/100 (39 hits, 31 'clean' - in other words centre of the mitt and the maximum level of 10 reached).  This test covers Peripheral Vision, Eye Movement and Hand-Eye Co-ordination together.

Following the day's tests, the game puts you through the Eye Relaxation exercises, where a soothing female voice talks you through different eye movements and stretches whilst gentle piano music plays in the background.  "And relax…"  This is followed by a typically US style 'Nice Job!' flashing up on the screen, complete with the game's funny little pixel men standing around cheering.

Day Two: 22nd October, 2007

Box Tap: 84/100 on normal level, getting 36/40 correct overall and achieving an Advanced tag due to my Hand-Eye Co-ordination being quite good.  This score has now opened the same task, but its Hard Mode version.

NICE JOB! (Two stick men playing catch with a square baseball - I see this 'Nice Job' thing being somewhat of a recurring theme each day…)

Day Three: 24th October, 2007

After skipping yesterday due to being too tired, I wondered just how much my Eye Age would be affected by the absence of training.  However, my fears were quashed as I hit a score of 29 - only a slight improvement, but better all the same.  It should be noted that the initial tests this time were much harder due to the Age from the other day.  Clearly the initial test adapts to your previous result.  The eye tip today is that running in the dark or driving seems faster as the field of vision is reduced, meaning things appear 'out of nowhere' quicker, rather than slowly phasing into view.  Sight Training also mentions that doing your Eye Age check three times per week is sufficient to get an accurate reading of your eyes' progress.  Good to know as now I no longer feel guilty about skipping a day!  Today's training session is 'Cover Your Bases! Balanced Workout':

NICE JOB! (Two stick men leaning to one side)

…Except it certainly was not a 'nice job' by me and I certainly need to train harder.  So off I slink to the Core and Sports Training sections.  Rather than going over them all, let me just briefly mention the new game, 'Letter Count'.  It has a letter appear at the top-left of the upper screen, then it moves right across the screen, then down and back left, then down and right again, ending the run by going down one last time and all the way left, all the time quickly changing to other letters of the alphabet, with the objective being to count how many times, for example, the letter P appears.  At first it seems ridiculously easy as it moves at a sedate pace, changing really slowly.  Eventually, though, the speed increases so much that your eyes start playing tricks on you.  I can see this one being a personal favourite over time.  Table Tennis is also another favourite, as it plays rather like Arkanoid, moving the panel on the lower screen from side-to-side to return the ball.  You can also move the paddle slightly into the screen as well, meaning you return shots earlier, but you need to remember to not be cocky with these return shots as the computer cannot actually be beaten, no matter how many fancy hits you do…All that ends up happening is you get yourself in a sticky situation when it fires back at you at rocket speed!

Day Four: 25th October, 2007

NICE JOB! (Three people today, two doing hand-stands, whilst the other lies on its back)

Table Tennis and Boxing are definitely becoming my favourites on the sports side, possibly because I am now at the stage where I get an All-Star rating each and every time, even on the hard level.  But the new challenge that opened up today is pretty cool as well.  What happens in Basketball is that players zoom onto the screen from the left and right, some of them in red and some in white shirts.  They all then turn into silhouettes and you must tap on your team mates (the ones in white) to 'pass the ball'.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, when things start to speed up and they silhouette almost instantaneously, it takes a lot of concentration to first of all distinguish which colour is which and then recall where your white-shirted players are.  For the purposes of this diary, on my first attempt on normal mode, I achieved an 88/100 score, which is Pro, getting 9 out of the 10 correct.  So clearly it starts off pretty simple, but is definitely got much harder at the higher speed, with full concentration required.  The task tests your Momentary Vision, Eye Movement and Peripheral Vision, all at the same time.  I would say it tests your short-term memory as well, just like many other tasks in Sight Training, to be honest.

Day Five: 27th October, 2007

NICE JOB! (Two block guys cycle off into the distance)

But, as always, it is time to train on the other games, starting this time with the sports side, with Boxing: 83/100, All Star on Hard, but that still is not a record score.  As for Table Tennis: 84/100, All Star on Hard, but again not a high score.  On the core training section, let us start with Number Flash: 66/100, Intermediate…but I was distracted as my wife walked in (poor excuse, I know!).  Symbol Order: 88/100, Expert on Hard and twelve points higher than my previous record.  Middle Match: 76/100, Expert on Hard and way higher than my previous score of 58.  Box Tap: 70/100, Advanced on Hard, but lower than the last attempt as I floundered after missing two early on, totally throwing me off.  Finally, we have the new task of Circle Spot, where you have to spot the circle (wow!) amongst other C symbols.  So they all flash on the screen quickly and you must identify the lone circle.  100/100, Advanced rating - not a bad start, but only on the normal setting, of course, as the hard had yet to be unlocked.  This tests your Momentary Vision, by the way, letting you instantly identify objects entering your field of vision.

Day Six: 28th October, 2007

The training chosen, despite my results being practically the same as yesterday (making me feel the selection is random), is 'Put It to the Test! Sports Workout', meaning the focus is on all four sports unlocked so far.  Baseball: On Normal level, 71/100, Semi-Pro and now I have six stamps meaning the Volleyball game has been unlocked.  Basketball: 88/100 on Hard, All-Star.  Boxing: 87/100, New Record - All-Star.  Finally, Table Tennis: 80/100, All-Star.

NICE JOB! (Two block guys lay on their backs looking up at a blocky butterfly with their legs crossed)

Rather than go through the motions of the core and sports training exercises that are remaining, let me just give you an overview of the Volleyball game that was unlocked earlier.  This is based on spiking the ball, with the volleyball being set up for the spike and the player having to hit it when it lands in the on-screen orange box and you must avoid the opponents when returning the ball.  This is harder than it sounds as the ball floats gently in the air sometimes before finally reaching the orange box, then you must tap it at the right time or else the opponents block the shot.  Anyway, on my first attempt I achieved 62/100, Amateur rating, sadly, meaning no hard mode for me just yet.  Better luck next time…