What a lot of people misunderstand about 7 Generation Games is that we aren’t trying to replace Roblox, we’re trying to replace worksheets.
Absolutely by far the number one request we get at 7 Generation Games from teachers who DO get it and are already using our games, is for games for lower levels of mathematics,
“Couldn’t you do something with addition or subtraction?”
Interestingly, the second most common request is for games that teach a higher level of math.
We cannot make a game for every math skill and every culture. We aren’t cranking these out with AI. We’re using TI – teacher intelligence – doing workshops with actual teachers, using real images from the Library of Congress and artwork by the talented Stephen Gladue. That’s why we have been so focused on the 7 Gen Blocks Game Builder no code version, that will let teachers make their own games. You can check out a video here – or come see me at the Minnesota Association for Bilingual Education conference on April 18 at in Forest Lake, MN.
I’ll also be in Minot on Friday and Saturday, April 24-25 for the Minot State University powwow and family STEAM day. You can see the Powwow Stands game there – or click the link below to check it out.
Play the Powwow Stands game – it only requires addition.
Because it is designed for players who are at a lower level of academics, it also automatically reads the visual novel pages.
It also reads the instructions for the math activities if a player clicks the speaker in the left corner.
Thoughts from an Experienced Teacher
My long-time business partner, Dr. Erich Longie, started his career in education as a third-grade teacher. When he would be in a classroom with students playing our games and they would ask for help, he would refuse to help them until they tried to help themselves. For example, if a student said, “I can’t read this.” He would answer, “Did you click on that speaker and have it read it to you?”
Only after a student had listened to the instructions and tried to answer the problems on their own would he help them. His position was that a problem many students have with mathematics is that they just give up too early and ask the teacher to give them the answer, and he was going to refuse to allow that.
Looking for your thoughts
You may notice from the link that the game is still in our sandbox because it hasn’t been tested extensively – we just have not had time. There are also a few little things I want to smooth out before I post it on our website and the Growing Math site.
While the math is at a younger age level, I think students up to fifth-grade would probably play this game. I was aiming for at least fourth-graders because I know that a lot of students are below basic in math. I also tried to make the game playable on an iPad as well as Chromebooks because I know some schools have younger students using touch devices.
Play the Powwow Stands game and give me your opinion.