Nolan Bushnell founder of Atari.

(Game Politics) – A new web site called Anti-AgingGames.com launched yesterday, offering brain fitness optimized for “mentally healthy people” over the age of 35. The site is the brainchild of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, who serves as advisor and as the company’s chief game visionary. The company also announced that 20 percent of its pre-tax profits will be given to charity.

The site will offer visitors “scientifically-based brain fitness games” optimized for mentally healthy people over age 35, for a monthly subscription fee. Brain training activities include memory, concentration and focus games, as well as games that provide relaxation and stress reduction.

Anti-AgingGames.com was co-founded by Elizabeth Amini, a former scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a background in cognitive science. Co-founder Brent Bushnell serves as Chief Technology Officer. Anti-AgingGames.com’s Scientific Advisory Board includes Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., Neuroscientist at Rockefeller University; Linda Kaplan, M.D., Clinical Neurologist and Professor of Clinical Neurology at University of California, Irvine Medical Center; Simon Tan, Psy.D., A.B.P.P., Neuropsychologist at Stanford University Medical Center; Muriel Lezak, Ph.D., Neuropsychologist and Professor Emerita of Neurology at Oregon Health and Science University; and Michael D. Campos, Ph.D., Staff Program Researcher at UCLA. Bill Lennartz, recently retired President and CEO of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, is Chairman of the Board of Advisors.

“It has been disappointing to watch videogames become increasingly violent and complicated over the years and lacking in fun, socially engaging and educational features. I have long believed that video and computer games could be highly effective, fun educational tools, and I am pleased to see more activity on that front,” says Bushnell.

Mark and Jamal of WCG Ultimate Gamer and, yes, Mark is sporting a Reckon Crew Shirt

Hot weather be damned, the Reckon Crew raided and rampaged the SGC and made it home to tell the tale.

We got a bit of a late start on Friday morning thanks to an issue with the site not coming up but once that was remedied, the car was loaded with swag and we were on our way to Dallas to visit the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention put on by, you guessed it, the folks from ScrewAttack.com. The first of what I personally hope will be many, the SGC had much to offer of the course of the three days and you’d better believe the Reckon Crew took it all in.

To begin, 180 hopeful gamers signed up for the Iron Man of Gaming contest. Among those contestants were none other than Mark (aka mMmApplesauce) and Jamal (aka Zophar321) of Sci-Fi’s WCG Ultimate Gamer reality show. More about them in a moment.

Nolan Bushnell, Founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese

Ducking out of the crowded lobby, we took in the keynote speech by the famed Nolan Bushnell. You may have heard of him from a little business he founded called Atari. Bushnell’s speech set the tone for the convention as he told stories of both successful and missed business opportunities, off color jokes, and predicted the future of gaming to lead away from consoles and into the arena of cloud computing. There was also talk of hunting a Wumpus out in the real world with electronic devices like the iPhone. We still have goosebumps.

We left the keynote, browsed a bit more, and then may our way to the hotel lounge. You just knew there had to be drinking somewhere in this bit, right? After a bit of relaxing, we met up with Jamal and Mark and headed to downtown Dallas for a bit of the nightlife. What followed was some epic scale drinking (as evidenced by our Tweets that night if anyone was paying attention) and getting to know the guys from Ultimate Gamer. Timothy Danger arranged an interview with them and then it was time to call it a night.

Jack Thompson

We woke a bit worse for wear on Saturday and made our way down for the Q&A session with Jack Thompson. Well, T. Danger did. He was the only one with fully functioning mental capabilities that morning. If you’re not familiar with Jack Thompson, he’s a former lawyer from Florida who has fought for civil rights and public decency in music and video games. While my personal opinion of the man is that he’s a bit off kilter, he was in fine form for the SGC both in his Q&A section and in his debate with Mark Methenitis. He joked with the crowd, related stories of run ins with Take Two Interactive, and even managed to win a standing ovation or two during his time on stage.

We lost Cruthcboy in a freak rave accident

As the day wore on, we checked in with Jamal to find out he was in first place after two days of the Iron Man competition. Considering the night before, the Reckon Crew was suitably impressed. We wandered the hotel speaking to the various attendees and checking in on the scheduled events. We were a bit frightened at both the pool party and the rave but it may have been the bright lights.

Sunday morning saw us a bit disappointed that the event was drawing to an end. But we picked up our spirits, loaded the car, and made our way to the convention floor to check on the scores for the Iron Man gaming competition. The day would unfold to show Jamal as the victor in the event.

The last round of pictures and interviews were completed, goodbyes were exchanged with our new friends, and we made our way out into the Texas heat and began our journey home. We were all in agreement that the event had been a smashing success and look forward to attending next year.

So long as the Reckon Crew has not heard the last of the SGC, the SGC hasn’t heard the last of the Reckon Crew.

Gritskrieg – End of Line