The face behind the Nintendo DS brain-training sensation says he has refused all offers of compensation because he "likes to work." Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Brain Age in the US) has sold more than 1 million copies in the UK alone, boosting sales of the Nintendo DS and broadening the appeal of video games to a wider population.

　　However, the face of the game has said in an interview with AFP that "not a single yen has gone in my pocket." The 48-year-old professor could have taken up to half of the royalties of the game--some ¥2.4 billion so far (approx $22 million)--but he refused as he's happy with his ¥11 million salary ($100,000). Instead, the money has gone to his employer, the state-funded Tohoku University.

　　Kawashima's decision has caused problems in his family, who, it seems, would actually have quite liked some extra cash, even if Kawashima himself didn't. He admitted, "Everyone in my family is mad at me, but I tell them if they want money, go out and earn it."

　　Kawashima also confessed that he is a workaholic. He said, "To hear this may put you off, but my hobby is work."

　　He also revealed that he doesn't have time to play his own game (he's too busy working), and that he severely limits his own offspring's gaming hours. His four sons are banned from playing games on weekdays and allowed only one hour to play at weekends. He explained, "I don't think playing games is bad in itself, but it makes children unable to do what they should do such as study and communicate with the family."