Yesterday I stumbled across ESP Training [99¢] on Kotaku and have since had a lot of fun fooling around with the test at bars with friends, then I discovered the even better free app, Fake ESP [Free]. While not technically a game, these two apps can be a great time, especially if your friends are fans of Ghostbusters.
The cards included in these apps are actually Zener cards, designed in the early 1930’s to test for clairvoyance and telepathy. Consisting of 25 cards, 5 of each design, the subject is asked to determine which card is being held up without any visual or vocal queues. With the iPhone, this is accomplished by placing your iPhone screen down, and assuming your extra-sensory perception is in order, you should be able to determine the correct card with greater than 20% accuracy.
Dr. Peter Venkman administers this very test at the beginning of Ghostbusters:
While ESP Training actually is a serious app which graphs your progress, Fake ESP is the same test with a much more fun fake mode. In fake mode, the next card which is displayed is controlled by which area of the bottom of the screen you touch. When you’re doing this, it’s probably a good idea to miss a few every once in a while to try to make it not too obvious that you’re faking it.
App Store Links: ESP Training, 99¢ – Fake ESP, Free
