My father introduced us to video games in the early 80s. He would take us to the mall, give us rolls of quarters, and let us loose in the arcade. I barely remember the games we played there. I just remember being fascinated with the sounds, lights, interaction and happy to spend time with him after he and my mother divorced. No pity here…my parents are now great friends.
Then, we got an Atari 2600 for Christmas! We would spend quite a bit of time playing Space Invaders, Pong, Donkey Kong, Boxing, Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man…trying again and again to progress further in the game, and the accomplishment we felt when we did. Learning at its best!
Today, digital games are a multi-billion dollar industry, and they aren’t going away any time soon. Digital game play transcends age, race, income levels, ability, and gender. Chances are, you have at least one game on your phone right now.
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| Atari 2600 – Our first video game console |
Gamers are more likely to become STEM college students, and bottom line, video games feature many learning principles backed by years of research in the learning sciences and education. It’s what makes digital games so irresistible. Children can now aspire to become professional gamers if they so choose! So don’t tell a child that they can’t have a career playing games…it’s not true in the 21st Century.
It makes sense that digital games be used in the education sector. Unfortunately, educational technology sector have left “us” out.
The Problem with Digital Math Games
As part of a research project at Stanford, I was tasked with curating digital math games that could be used to learn and assess deep mathematical thinking. After going through several hundred games (maybe more) in the Apple App Store, I found very few that fit the bill. I quickly learned that
- Digital Math Games aren’t designed with “us” in mind.
- Digital Math Games display a poor representation of mathematics.
- Digital Math Games don’t take advantage of the gaming technology.
1. Digital Math Games Aren’t Designed with “Us” in Mind.
If you’ve heard me speak before, then you know about my personal encounter with a game that was clearly not designed with me in mind. During the research project I previously mentioned, I game across a game that you have to choose an avatar before you actually play. See the screenshot below.
The problem? While I identify as female, I do not identify as a white female. This game also forces a player to choose a gender, when many people don’t conform to traditional gender labels. I didn’t want to choose either avatar, so I closed the app and deleted it from my iPad. Of course, it did not make the list of good games!
Imagine what non-white, gender-fluid children might experience when encountering this game. I’m a grown, strong black woman and it stopped me in my tracks!
The technology industry is majority white male, with Asian males making up the second largest group. The edtech industry demographics are slightly better, but still grim. Game designers need to be more attentive to how potential players represent themselves. Either allow the player to play as oneself (think Candy Crush and Words with Friends), or allow room for choice in hair types, body shapes, hair and skin colors, and roles (think World of Warcraft). Identity is important. Let us choose who we are and how we want to present ourselves.
Imagine what non-white, gender-fluid children might experience when encountering this game. I’m a grown, strong black woman and it stopped me in my tracks!
The technology industry is majority white male, with Asian males making up the second largest group. The edtech industry demographics are slightly better, but still grim. Game designers need to be more attentive to how potential players represent themselves. Either allow the player to play as oneself (think Candy Crush and Words with Friends), or allow room for choice in hair types, body shapes, hair and skin colors, and roles (think World of Warcraft). Identity is important. Let us choose who we are and how we want to present ourselves.
2. Digital Math Games display a poor representation of mathematics and mathematics learning principles.
Contrary to popular belief, math is so much more than procedures and basic facts. Mathematics education researchers as well as learning and cognitive scientists have argued this for decades, yet mathematics in a majority of K-16 classrooms continues to be reduced to isolated skills, speed tests, and memorization. Yes, math skills, basic facts, and procedures are important, but there are other components that are equally important and largely ignored for a majority of learners.
There are many ways to think about the complexity of mathematics, however, the National Research Council illustrates it well in Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics. There are five strands of successful mathematics learning, which they refer to as mathematical proficiency. You can follow the link for a detailed explanation of these strands. Mathematical proficiency cannot be developed without attending to all five strands, which are equally important and interrelated. The important thing is that most math games I’ve found focus on a teeny, tiny piece of only ONE strand.
There are many ways to think about the complexity of mathematics, however, the National Research Council illustrates it well in Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics. There are five strands of successful mathematics learning, which they refer to as mathematical proficiency. You can follow the link for a detailed explanation of these strands. Mathematical proficiency cannot be developed without attending to all five strands, which are equally important and interrelated. The important thing is that most math games I’ve found focus on a teeny, tiny piece of only ONE strand.
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| Five Strands of Mathematical Proficiency from Adding it Up, NRC 2001 |
On a side note, this report was released in 2001.
Yes, 2001 – 18 years ago, people! It graduated from high school this year and is on it’s way to college. But it’s just as relevant today as it was back then.
Doing math is not always straightforward and requires persistence, flexibility, and reasoning. Our children need to experience mathematics that helps them to develop this type of mathematical thinking. Current education attempts have failed to make mathematical proficiency for all a reality, most digital math game designers included. Take a look at this screenshot below.
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| Game #2 That Shall Remain Nameless |
This popular math game looks like a multiple choice problem from a worksheet, doesn’t it? The player has to complete a certain amount of computation problems before they get to actually play anything that resembles a game, and again, the math focuses on only one small part of one strand of mathematical proficiency. In other words, the math is weak. Which brings me to my last point…
3. Digital Math Games don’t take advantage of gaming technology.
This is the biggest problem with most digital math games. The game action is separated from the mathematics. Take this game as an example.
The player controls the panda cub as it runs along the path, picking up coins and overcoming obstacles. It’s actually a fun game to try to master – until your play is interrupted by a math problem! Whose idea was that?
Digital games are perfect for developing and assessing reasoning and problem solving skills. Why waste the technology on memorizing basic facts?
Here is an example of a game that does take advantage of gaming technology.
Digital games are perfect for developing and assessing reasoning and problem solving skills. Why waste the technology on memorizing basic facts?
Here is an example of a game that does take advantage of gaming technology.
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| Wuzzit Trouble |
The goal of the game Wuzzit Trouble is to free the Wuzzit (the cute creature) from the cage by aligning the keys to the pointer at the top. The player engages in mathematics by turning the small driver gears to the left or right, which move the larger gear in position to reach the keys. In the example above, the player would tap and turn the small gear with 8 cogs to the left three times to reach both keys and release the Wuzzit. In this game, there are many ways to solve most of the levels, and the act of playing the game is also doing the math. It’s similar to skip counting by 8 on a number line.
I think there’s wonderful potential in leveraging technology for mathematics learning, but it is difficult for teachers to find apps that are quality and/or match their learning goals. I look forward to your examples of high quality math games! I’ll be following!
I totally agree with you, Jessica. Sadly, my list isn't very long. That's why it's important for us to demand better from those that are creating these games.