Online Math Games: Worksheets Playing Dress Up?

Meet my husband, J. MacKenzie, Future Game Designer

My husband is currently in his second year studying video game development, though he had a few years of learning under his belt from another school. He dropped out of his first experience after tragedy struck and his mother had a stroke. Since then, he has had an interest and underlying desire to one day create games that help with brain development and a tool for stroke patients to use to get better. On this train of brain development thought, we have had countless conversations about how games can be used for education.

I ask, “Why aren’t there any education games for PlayStation or Xbox?”

His response? “There are a few, but you don’t hear about them because education games usually suck”.

This sparked a deep conversation about why he thinks that and what needed to change. We have seriously talked about eventually joining forces and creating an educational video game that doesn’t “suck”. But I never really understood his passionate aversion to educational game, or “edutainment” as he calls it. Until today.   

Games and Education

Today I was investigating math games to help learn Patterning and Algebra. Simple, I thought. I will find so many I will have a hard time choosing. I just bought a brand new Windows computer, so I started to look for an algebra math game app in the Microsoft Store. Besides DragonBox, which is about $5+, there was no games. There were a few calculators and tutoring apps, but no games. I found the same issue with GooglePlay. (I don’t use apple products, so I don’t have reference for what the Apple Store has). So I went to the internet games. There is a lot of math games, and many of them can be used to practice algebra and patterning. I found one game called Parking Algebra. It’s a frustratingly decent game to practice basic algebra concepts. You have to solve by x and park the car in the right space, and beat the clock and hit less than 5 cars to pass the level. So I played this game for about 30 minutes, and I was getting very frustrated because I apparently can not drive a car even on a computer. So my husband took over, and he immediately got annoyed.

“This is not a good game.” He said.
“I know, it’s hard to move that car the right way!” I exclaimed, happy he understood my frustration.
“No,” he sighed. “It’s exactly why edutainment is flawed. This is just like doing a work sheet. Here’s the equation, input the answer, then next question. You’re not learning something new, just drilling something you already know.”

My husband was so annoyed he wrote this review on his Facebook page after leaving to me find another game,

"I did not enjoy this “Parking Algebra” game, I hesitate to even call it a game. The only thing this ‘game’ is for is a different way to submit the value of ‘X’. The game could literally tell the player “Park in space 2+2.” or “Park in space 12.” or simply “Type in the letter ‘Q’.” without any change to the game or the players learning experience. Educational games should create an atmosphere for fun learning that actually involves the player in the process, allowing the player to solve problems and learn from both their successes and mistakes. Nothing is being taught by simply asking the player to submit an answer that would be easier to type in. If I were to make a game not involving mixing driving with algebra, I would choose a game that involved balancing a set of scales. The player would be given ‘X’ and ‘Y’ on either side of a scale and a short list of functions that they can use to balance the scales. The scales update continuously based on the players placement of the functions. This teaches the player how algebra functions work instead of simply drilling the answers that the player will forget when the next level starts. The “Parking Algebra” may be a fun way to drill multiplication tables, but when teaching algebra it is more useful to let the learner find their own way to problem solve." - J. MacKenzie

And you know what, he is right. While this game was great to test my fluency with one step algebraic equations, it didn’t actually teach me HOW to solve the problem or WHY x = 24. I hadno tools to help me find the answer, I was just expected to figure it out quickly and input the answer, like a worksheet. 

I’m not saying this is a bad thing. I would rather play “park the car” than do a worksheet with 20 questions on it. Fluency and mastery is important before you should move on to the next topic, and students need this practice. But if I didn’t already have the knowledge of how to solve the problem, this game would not only be frustrating to move the car without hitting anything, but it would also be frustrating to find the answer. And that’s no fun. Which is kind of the point of a game, isn’t it?

Need for a Toolbox

So I moved on to find a game that gave me a tool to help find the answer, or something that helped go through the steps in a fun way to solidify HOW to solve for x or how to figure out a pattern. I had a hard time! Every game looked promising, but was the same worksheet issue just dressed up in a new flashy hat. This is the equation, now input the answer to gain points.

After an hour of searching, I found one tool that really helped visualize the concept of solving for x and the steps of isolating x using a scale and dragging over variables. It had a lovely tutorial mode, and then a practice mode. While it was still under the same premise of Solve for x and input information, the scale and variable tool was fantastic. There was also a little speech bubble that walked the player through the steps in order to help them discover how to find the right answer. This was more of what I was looking for.

But I kept looking. I spent another 30 minutes looking for a better game, and only found one, that was not perfect, but had a tool to find the pattern, and also had an attached manipulative tool to help students understand the relationship between each number in the pattern and how each variable can change that pattern.

But I still didn’t find something that was truly exciting, interesting, and was a worksheet when everything was striped down.

So Now What?

So my mind is now turning and I wonder, how can a game be developed that not only develops fluency of a concept but teaches each step, integrates those steps into the problem solving, offers manipulative and still gives the opportunity for practice, yet is actually engaging and fun? What would the best platform be for such a game, or how would each different platform offer unique opportunities for enhancing learning (tablet app vs PlayStation game). What about a multiplayer component?

I have a lot to think about before bed, and I understand a little bit more about why my husband is hesitant about educational games. But I’m also inspired and want to create something useful with him in the future.

Do you have a favourite math game that goes beyond the worksheet method? Do you think the practice is enough for students to use?