Game: Timez Attack

Timez Attack is game developed by Big Brains. It is a great advancement in games used for education, because it includes several elements from traditional games to complement the learning experience, for example, likable characters, diverse environments and interesting action sequences.

The game mainly requires you to solve multiplications. Solving multiplications serves the purpose of what could be considered a 'context sensitive button' i.e. pressing a button on a controller changes the action depending on the current context of the game character. In this case, solving a multiplication can open a door, kill an enemy, move a platform, etc.

I remember being a kid and playing a Sesame Street videogame on my NES which also had some kind of 'in-your-face' math operations (moments where it's obvious that you're solving a math question), but I remember having a lot of fun playing it. This time, however, I was having a hard time keeping interest in the game. I believe the main reason for this is that I'm nowhere near the target audience, but I still found that the excessive use of the 'in-your-face' multiplication questions interrupted the flow of the game, not as much as to break it, but that can sometimes become annoying.

Nevertheless, this is still an interesting game concept and can prove quite useful as a learning tool.

What I liked about the game:

• The game includes lesson reviews to see the student's progress. This really helps teachers and parents understand which topics have been mastered and which haven't.
• The 'retention module' is excellent to ensure the mastery of the content. There is no risk of forget
• The characters and evironments are fun. This is a great improvement over the traditional pencil and paper learning experience.
• It can truly be a fun experience for kids.

What I didn't like about the game:

• The game's main mechanic relies on the learning by repetition. While it's an effective methodology, in videogames, repetition can be counterproductive.
• The game's educational content is presented 'in-your-face'. Almost all the time, there is a gigantic multiplication written on a wall/box/enemy that you have to solve. It would be cool if this could have been a little more subtle.
• Sometimes, too many math operations can interrupt the flow of the game.

Visit Big Brainz's Home Page or try out the free version of the game.

Big Brainz (2011). Timez Attack. [http://www.bigbrainz.com/Download.html]