<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; ">Sounds like a fun idea, albeit complicated. Perhaps some sort of turn based game like this could help with understanding the ideas of equality, balancing equations by adding, subtracting, etc. as the computer tries to unbalance them. Once you have a good game model, there's lots you can do.</div></div><div><br>I should also introduce myself. My name's Matthew, and David Nalley introduced me into this project at a LUG meeting. I've been sort of following the list, but this is my first email. I'm a proficient programmer in general, but I've never done heavy python before, so I'm brushing up on it while occasionally brainstorming ideas for this stuff. If anybody has a job they think they can use me for before I run off coding on my own, let me know. =)<br><br>- Matthew Daniels<br><br>On Mar 12, 2009, at 7:44 PM, Yioryos Asprobounitis wrote:<br><br><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">This looks like fun here!<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">I hope is not only coding because I can not do any. I could learn some though...<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The game /activity that strikes me as tailor for teaching math or anything else, by design, is a Pokemon style game. Has a simple game play so should not be demanding on the hardware and by default is based on attack and defend/abilities (questions/answers) of each pokemon that you "train to become stronger and better and evolve"!<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">For a math game the characters should have certain level of strengths in functions, comparisons, fractions, geometry, tables, graphs etc. An ordering of the strengths is important for game play. eg you "defend" an addition with subtraction, multiplication with division, equal but with different expression, etc. You could attack with something "bigger", with more factors, combination of functions etc. Riddles and problems could also be included, but I doubt the machine can understand and respond to arbitrarily formed questions so can only be one-way attacks from the computer, or 2-ways in interactive play.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">For lower level, kids could pick from answers (defense) and questions (attack), go to a mixed mode where they can "capture their opponent" faster if the choose "solo" and type in questions and answers, and finish with the "all user" input mode.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The "damage" could be assessed first by the accuracy of the response (in low level, kids may be able to test that before they respond) and then by speed. The speed by which the "attack" is moving could be the time.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Battles can be done with the machine (training), interactively in pairs or groups (communication/collaboration) or with the server (testing)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The goal of the classic game is that "you get to get them all" but here could also be to get the "supper dude" in every level which can be the server or teacher for testing. Or to write an attack sequence that the machine-opponent "can not defended" (next grate material?)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">As a bonus or initiative, kids may be able do design their own (or modify existing) characters in a drawing activity and import them to the game. Or change the movement (Flip-stick?) of attack/defense/ celebration. They should obviously be able to "trade" their characters with the machine or each-other.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The game should utilize graphic or graffity talented persons for original characters and backgrounds, and a simple "quest" story-line could add to the game-play.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The usual bonuses, cool stuff to get and trade, new layout unlocking etc, could also be included.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Obviously this "game" is more of a platform and with minimal changes could be implemented in many different disciplines.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">I have no idea how to implement this but learning (after 2 kids...) the philosophy and the characters of the game I think it can be an ideal learning platform. I do not know if relevant FOSS game engines exist or any company (Nindendo) has release any old code but either could be grate help.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">All it needs now is a TV show to popularize it :-)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">So if someone with the required technical abilities finds it interesting and feasible and kick-start it, I promise to try to learn (a bit of) whatever language is going to be used...<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">mavrothal<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">_______________________________________________<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">FourthGradeMath mailing list<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="mailto:FourthGradeMath@lists.sugarlabs.org">FourthGradeMath@lists.sugarlabs.org</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/fourthgrademath">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/fourthgrademath</a><br></blockquote><br></div></div><br></body></html>