Skills used in this game
Who Was That? is a face–name memory game about the moment everyone knows: you clearly recognize the face, but the name is stuck on the tip of your tongue. Linking a face to a name uses associative memory — binding two different pieces of information into one.
You meet new people at a gathering, then greet them by picking the right name when you run into them again. As gatherings go on, people you met earlier come back (“Oh! You’ve met before”) — remembering someone from a while back earns a bigger bonus.
How to play
- 1When a new face appears with a name tag, link the face and the name together.
- 2At recall time, pick that person’s name out of four choices.
- 3Later gatherings mix in people you met before. A reunion answered right is worth +150!
Tips for a higher score
- Tie the name to a visible feature in one phrase — “Margaret with the glasses” — and repeat it silently to strengthen the link.
- Decoys include names of other people from the same gathering and similar-sounding names (Margaret, Marlene, Marion). Recall the whole name before you tap, not just the first letters.
- Reunion questions are marked with a badge. After each recall round, quickly review the names of earlier guests in your head to bank those bonuses.
The science behind it
Binding two different pieces of information — a face and a name — is a common task format in associative-memory research. Brain Malang turns the face–name matching rule into a gathering-themed game. Its score does not measure real-world memory or age-related change.
FAQ
Why are names so much harder than faces?
Unlike faces, names are mostly arbitrary sounds with no built-in meaning, so recognizing a face while blanking on the name is common. This game uses a face–name matching rule. If you have memory concerns, consult a medical professional regardless of your game score.
What is the reunion bonus?
Correctly naming someone you met in an earlier gathering earns +150 (new acquaintances are +100). Your gathering grade is based only on your overall accuracy within the game.
How do the difficulty levels differ?
Easy has 6 people, generous timers, and mild decoys. Normal has 8 people with similar-sounding decoy names mixed in. Hard has 9 people, shorter timers, and mostly near-identical names for maximum tip-of-the-tongue pressure.