Welcome to the next step in our plan to rule the world! We've made a ton of progress of the past few months, and are announcing the launch of our Kickstarter campaign beginning November 1st!
Find out why we're running a Kickstarter campaign & more in the Q&A session with our CEO below.
Jennifer: Why is Mathbreakers running a Kickstarter campaign?
Charlie: Other than raising money, we're looking to get exposure to our game on a mass scale and test the game with a larger audience. We want to build our initial player base and create a community around that.
Jennifer: What's the goal of the game?
Charlie: An evil number empire is attempting to destroy all the transcendental numbers to prevent higher-level math from ever being done again. You must rescue the transcendental numbers before the bad guys reduce them to zero. Transcendental numbers are non-algebraic numbers such as π (3.14) and e (2.71). If you save the numbers a little late, and the bad guys have begun reducing them, you still have a chance to save the world by completing a challenge level and returning the transcendental numbers to their true irrational values.
Jennifer: What's the coolest thing about your game?
Charlie: All the ways you can chop, smash, combine, and modify numbers with magic weapons! The bazooka launches numbers and returns the sum of everything in the blast radius. The sword slashes numbers in half (literally). Or, you can smash numbers with the factor hammer, and even control swarms of flying numbers with a magic staff. The game makes you think about math in a different way, and you learn to look for opportunities based on the tools and numbers available.
Most importantly, there are no "What is 6 x 7" problems. All the numbers exist in a world on their own, and you decide how to play with them.
Jennifer: How does Mathbreakers play into the EdTech community?
Charlie: Mathbreakers fits nicely with the standard math curriculum for grades 1-6, including arithmetic, negatives, fractions, factoring, multiples and powers. It can be played at home or at school; the action-packed 3D world that approaches mathematics in a new way, and repeated play helps develop a strong intuitive understanding of mathematics from different angles.
Mathbreakers brings more to the ed-tech community in two ways:
1. Math is a property of the game world, not an additional problem set. This means that instead of hundreds of repetitive worksheet problems, the student works in an environment where simple interactions lead to more complex behavior. This builds a strong foundation to build on, and allows for multiple different solution paths.
2. It's not just a game — it's also an editor and level builder, where students can invent their own math machines and puzzles for their friends. We believe this creation process engages the brain at a higher level, and fosters a deeper understanding of math concepts than practice alone. You know a student really understands factoring if they can make their own factoring puzzle!
Jennifer: Those are exciting claims, but has anyone played your game?
Charlie: Yes! Over 100 students have tested our game at various workshop settings. We've received great feedback from kids and parents, and had a significant amount of questions like "Is the next version ready yet?" It's a great feeling to see kids continue playing the game after the workshop is over, and they are constantly asking us for the next level set!
Jennifer: What are you going to do with the money you're able to pull in from Kickstarter?
Charlie: The funds will be used to finish development of the Alpha version, with the level editor and multiplayer as potential stretch goals. We will also amp up our advertising and reach out to other organizations for strategic partnerships. Our short-term goal is to launch by Christmas 2013 and get our game in the hands of as many students as possible, gather their feedback, build the community and make the game better.
Charlie: All the ways you can chop, smash, combine, and modify numbers with magic weapons! The bazooka launches numbers and returns the sum of everything in the blast radius. The sword slashes numbers in half (literally). Or, you can smash numbers with the factor hammer, and even control swarms of flying numbers with a magic staff. The game makes you think about math in a different way, and you learn to look for opportunities based on the tools and numbers available.
Most importantly, there are no "What is 6 x 7" problems. All the numbers exist in a world on their own, and you decide how to play with them.
Jennifer: How does Mathbreakers play into the EdTech community?
Charlie: Mathbreakers fits nicely with the standard math curriculum for grades 1-6, including arithmetic, negatives, fractions, factoring, multiples and powers. It can be played at home or at school; the action-packed 3D world that approaches mathematics in a new way, and repeated play helps develop a strong intuitive understanding of mathematics from different angles.
Mathbreakers brings more to the ed-tech community in two ways:
1. Math is a property of the game world, not an additional problem set. This means that instead of hundreds of repetitive worksheet problems, the student works in an environment where simple interactions lead to more complex behavior. This builds a strong foundation to build on, and allows for multiple different solution paths.
2. It's not just a game — it's also an editor and level builder, where students can invent their own math machines and puzzles for their friends. We believe this creation process engages the brain at a higher level, and fosters a deeper understanding of math concepts than practice alone. You know a student really understands factoring if they can make their own factoring puzzle!
Jennifer: Those are exciting claims, but has anyone played your game?
Charlie: Yes! Over 100 students have tested our game at various workshop settings. We've received great feedback from kids and parents, and had a significant amount of questions like "Is the next version ready yet?" It's a great feeling to see kids continue playing the game after the workshop is over, and they are constantly asking us for the next level set!
Jennifer: What are you going to do with the money you're able to pull in from Kickstarter?
Charlie: The funds will be used to finish development of the Alpha version, with the level editor and multiplayer as potential stretch goals. We will also amp up our advertising and reach out to other organizations for strategic partnerships. Our short-term goal is to launch by Christmas 2013 and get our game in the hands of as many students as possible, gather their feedback, build the community and make the game better.
No comments:
Post a Comment