Game Name: Base Ten Fun
Designer/Developer — ABCya!
Platform — Browser
High-level instructional goal — Teaching kids how to identify, and count by different intervals of 1, 10, and 100.
Link — https://www.abcya.com/games/base_ten_fun — link to play it
https://www.abcya.com/ — link to play more games made by ABCya!
Educational Goals
The learning objective for the game is for kids to learn how to count and make numbers using 1s, 10s, and 100s. For example, the player is asked to make the number 32, and they have to drag three snakes that represent 10 and two that represent 1 onto the screen to make the number.
The game assumes that the child knows about numbers already and is able to count to 100. (i.e. the game doesn’t go over counting from 1 to 10.) The game doesn’t assume, however, that the child knows how many 1’s and 10’s go into making a number like 32 for example. The game helps the child make these connections by showing them how using three 10’s and two 1’s will make 32:
There are many transfer opportunities for this knowledge, especially since this game is targeted for children. They will be able to build on the counting skills they learn from this game to help them do basic math. It will also help them understand that bigger numbers are just made up of set amounts of smaller numbers.
Game Elements
The game’s core gameplay loop is for the child to make representations of the numbers provided in the game using the snakes, or to provide the number based on the snakes the game gives the kid. After the child gives 5 correct answers, they are given a new snake skin that they can toggle to. They can then play future gameplay loops in the game with the new skin.
The objects that players can interact with are the different size snakes. The actions they can do with those snakes is click on them to bring them to the main part of the screen for making a number, or drag them on to the main part. From there, they can submit their answer for review.
The player experience feels very simple and educational. Besides the core gameplay loop, there isn’t anything else players can do (besides changing their snake’s skin) in the game. This makes the game very focused on its learning objectives. It does mean that the game might be less entertaining, but I’m not sure if this is only because I’m not a child between the ages of 4 to 8, which is who the game is targeted for.
Learning Mechanisms
The game is mostly trying to help childrens’ sense-making/understanding of counting numbers because it’s teaching them in a way that assumes they already know numbers, but aren’t yet very aware of the fact that numbers can be broken down into smaller parts.
The game doesn’t use too many learning science principles in order to support the learning mechanism. The one it definitely uses is immediate feedback timing, and the one that it uses somewhat is interest. Immediate feedback timing is given to tell players whether the answer they submitted is correct. The following image shows what happened when I submitted an incorrect answer. The game immediately gave me feedback informing me that my answer was incorrect, but didn’t provide me with the reasoning why. I had to go back to the level and adjust my answer to resubmit.
I say that the game somewhat uses interest because giving kids new snake skins for every 5 correct answers to keep them playing for longer isn’t interesting to me, but it might be for kids.
Overall Critique
In general, I think the game is likely to succeed as an educational game if kids are forced to play it in school or by their parents. The learning mechanism of the game is clear and very transferable to future math classes that the kids will take. The game’s use of immediate feedback timing is especially helpful for children’s learning as they can see and improve immediately. However, the game isn’t that entertaining. Besides collecting new snake skins, the game doesn’t make an effort to engage players to keep playing for long periods of time. This is why I believe that children would not seek this game out themselves, nor would they play it multiple times. This might mean that kids learn the material, but might not retain it.