Simon Says - Color Sequence Memory Game

How to play

Simon shows you a sequence of colored lights (or sounds), one step at a time. Watch the sequence carefully, then repeat it back by pressing the buttons in the same order. Each round adds one new step to the end of the sequence, making it progressively longer. Pressing the wrong button ends the game. The goal is to reproduce as long a sequence as possible.

How it challenges memory

Simon is a test of short-term serial recall - the ability to remember a list of items in the exact order they were presented. This differs from recognition memory (knowing you’ve seen something before) because the order matters as much as the content. Average adults can reliably recall sequences of 7 ± 2 items, a range described by psychologist George Miller as the “magical number seven”. Simon sequences that exceed this range require active memory strategies to reproduce.

Memory tips

• Chunking: group the sequence into sub-patterns of 2–3 steps and treat each chunk as a single unit. “Red-blue, green-yellow, red-red” is easier to remember than six individual colors.
• Verbal labeling: whisper the color names as each light flashes. Converting visual input to verbal labels uses a different memory system (phonological loop) and can extend your recall.
• Rhythm and pattern: if the sequence has a rhythmic pattern or starts to look like a visual shape on the buttons, leverage that structure as a memory anchor.

History

Simon was invented by Ralph Baer (known as the "father of video games") and Howard Morrison, and released by Milton Bradley in 1978. It was inspired by the arcade game Touch Me created by Atari in 1974, which used the same repeat-the-sequence mechanic. The name "Simon" is a play on the children's game "Simon Says." The original device featured four large colored buttons - red, blue, green, and yellow - arranged in a circular layout, a design that has remained virtually unchanged.

World record and benchmarks

The original Milton Bradley Simon was programmed to present up to 31 steps before declaring the player a winner. Achieving all 31 steps was considered the ultimate challenge and was widely regarded as the world-record standard for the classic game.