Where all of life is made of squishy cartoony shapes, and mathematical abstractions roam the hillsides, Super Math World has a problem. This was once a land of numbers humming in harmony -- town batteries were all filled to exactly 100% (or 1/1, as some would argue), and life was peaceful. Until one day, the NumberMancer rose to power and turned the world against itself. "Numbers shall bow to me!" he declared, and he sought to control all that could be added or subtracted. One by one the villages fell under his wrath, and he recruited the hopeless and defeated to his armies. Each town was sapped of its energy and crippled. Your mission -- should you choose to accept it -- is to visit each village, and restore their much-needed Blue Energy so that the factories and food supply can function efficiently. But beware -- the NumberMancer's minions mill about, looking for opportunities to strike! They are especially sensitive to large numbers. If you do manage to make large numbers (which are strictly forbidden), you may end up in a heap of trouble. Good luck citizen! May the power of infinity be with you! Play now: Supermathworld.com/join/story
Yesterday, Federico Chialvo invited me to attend his after-school math jam program for 12 gifted students aged 7-12. We used Super Math World as a medium for designing math video games.
After a quick introduction, the kids were off making all sorts of interesting mathematical interactions! In one short hour, the class produced:
- A "sheep carnage" level where sheep of various numbers were directed to a fighting arena, where they would battle each other based on factors
- An automated destruction factory where a number orb generator was placed on a conveyer belt that led to a cannon which automatically destroyed a wall of numbers
- A level in which a car was directed in an infinite loop of increasing speed
- One where you start inside a cage made of numbers and have to break free
The kids were so immersed in their creations that they didn't even notice when class ended, and it wasn't until 10 minutes past that I asked them what time it was. They cleverly (but unsuccessfully) tried to convince me my clock was wrong so they could continue playing for another hour! Eventually their parents came and pried them off of their computers.
One young boy asked me as his mother led him away, "Can goats eat other animals? How can I make goats eat other animals?" I told him they were sheep, not goats. His mom just grinned and continued to lead him away as I explained that you could set up the rules for sheep behavior in the editor by placing a sheep down, then selecting "Modify animal rules". He gleefully absorbed this information, presumably to put it to use at home where he would continue working on ways for number sheep to devastate the other members of the Super Math World animal kingdom.
I played the kids' levels and took some screenshots. Here they are!
We are very pleased to announce the soft launch of Super Math World! The site is live and ready to be used for your 3-D math gaming needs. Head on over to check out it out for free!
But.. shh! don't tell anyone yet -- While this game may be very popular among children and classrooms everywhere, it's not ready for mainstream use yet. We need a little more time to get our ducks in a row before we're ready to open the floodgates. That said, you, you lucky few who found this post, are free to get a first-look at our brand new math video game, Super Math World. Turn your kids loose and watch them play for hours as they get lost in our deep 3-D math game world.
What is Super Math World?
Super Math World is an online platform for playing, creating, and sharing 3-D math games.
No Download Required
Parents, caregivers, and schools will rejoice about Super Math World’s accessibility. The interface is completely online and does not require a download. Students will be able to access the site from any computer that has an internet connection. With no download required, permission and security issues are non-existent for schools, and parents or caregivers can rest easy that children are not downloading software on shared family computers.
A Level Editor
Do you know what a Level Editor is in Super Math World? It is software that makes it possible for users to create different and customized levels within the game they are playing. Players can edit each game after completing it or even create their own game from scratch. Super Math World allows players to make math games online with the support of its platform without writing any code (not that you shouldn't be learning to code, but right now we're all about accessibility!)
As students develop levels and games, the process allows them to gain an understanding and retain the mathematical concepts they are visually creating. Within the SMW community, players can share the levels they create with other users and make math a collaborative activity. Unleash the Super Math World in-game editor and the possibilities are endless!
Students Take Ownership
The games available are for children, ages 7 to 15, and covers addition, subtraction, negatives, multiplication, prime numbers, factorization, division, and fractions. Math is everywhere in this visual action-adventure style environment. Students are immersed in the discovery of math concepts and are able to take ownership of their understanding of mathematical processes. Over and over again the response from kids has been wildly enthusiastic, which helps propel us forwards to make a better math game world -- we must give the people what they want!
Host a Classroom With Ease
Teachers can access our easy-to-use dashboard where they can assign lessons and track progress of their class. They can also see (and edit) any levels their students create. It's free to get started, and there's no download required! Why not give it a go? It's free...for now ;-]
