Games in Education BUILD SOCIAL SKILLS & COOPERATIVENESS ENGENDER FAIR PLAY & HEALTHY COMPETITIVENESS INSPIRE PLANNING & EXECUTION PROMOTE CONCENTRATION & OBSERVATION EXEMPLIFY PLAYING TO WIN WITH GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP ...AND TEACH A WIDE VARIETY OF SUBJECTS WHILE YOUR STUDENTS THINK THEY’RE JUST HAVING FUN.

Brochure #4 Revised Edition MathMath && ScienceScience

HOW TO INTRODUCE & EXPAND MATH CONCEPTS THROUGH GAMES WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT GOOD GAMES GAMA’S GAMES IN THE CLASSROOM REVIEW GAMES FOR TEACHERS PROGRAM Version 2.0, Printed June 2003. © 2003 GAMA, the Game Manufacturers Association. Permission to photocopy but not sell is granted. All other rights reserved. 1 PlayPlay ForFor EducationEducation The complete series of Games In Education brochures are available on the internet, www.gama.org THIS IS THE FOURTH IN A SERIES ... a series that has developed by our culling the best of those newsletter articles. Developed by teachers playing games in classrooms and publishing observations about their usefulness. SPECIAL NOTE It should be noted that, as with any creative work, not all games are for all ages. Be sure to check for content! BROCHURES IN THIS SERIES: 1. An Introduction To Games In The Classroom. 2. Improving English skills with games in the classroom. 3. Teaching History and Social Studies through games. 4. Games to introduce and expand Math & Science concepts. THESE BROCHURES ARE FREE TO TEACHERS GAMA will provide a copy to any teacher who requests it. GAMA grants permission to teachers to photocopy this brochure at will, for your own use, to give to other teachers, but not for sale. We ask that any teacher who gets a copy contact us. We’ll add you to our growing mailing list of teachers who might use games in their classrooms, and we’ll mail you future brochures as each is published. THESE ARE LIVING DOCUMENTS This brochure and the series will evolve over the years. We’ll add more game -GAMA’s Executive Director, Mark Simmons, reviews, including yours if you send it to us! You will gain a published work credit in action educating the viewers about the while benefitting other teachers. The point of this series is to share knowledge, the values of games in this television interview at continually evolving knowledge of how to make learning more fun, how to engage Origins 2001. students, and how to make your calling of teaching a bit more enjoyable. SEE INSIDE BACK COVER FOR SPECIAL PROGRAM NOTES Game publishers are naturally interested in teachers using games to educate. Some are willing to give you their games free, some are able to sell you games at wholesale prices.

Each year in early July thousands of game enthusiasts gather to play at GAMA‘s showcase convention Origins®, the International Game Expo and Fair. Amongst over a thousand scheduled events are demonstrations of new games and introductions to a huge variety of games. Naturally, David Millians gives a seminar(s) on using games in educational settings. In the future, depending on teacher interest, the seminars roster may include more and more seminars & workshops on this key element of getting kids involved and INTERNATIONAL GAME EXPO. COLUMBUS, OHIO enthusiastic about learning. Contact GAMA’s Executive Director for more information.

GAMA CONTACTS:

For Publications: GAMA Publications Request 80 Garden Center, Ste.16. Broomfield, CO. 80020 Phone 303-635-2223 Fax 303-469-2878 The objective of the Game Manufacturers Association is to promote the general interest of all persons Games in Education: David Millians email [email protected] engaged in the buying, selling, licensing, or manu- Games in Education: Richard Martin-Leep email [email protected] facturing of gaming products. Naturally, if we can GAMA Executive Director: Mark Simmons email email ma.org help you teach with games we all win!

2 GAMES IN EDUCATION: MATH AND SCIENCE

We are delighted that we continue to get such positive INTRODUCTION feedback for the Games In Education program. Thank you for by David Millians the support and classroom ideas, we are working on editing them for future publications. "What was the chance of that?" "How can we build it better?" A Few Quick Thoughts On Science and Roleplaying; "What came before this? Role-playing games can be a powerful tool for explor- "Hey, I did it!" ing scientific theory in the classroom. You may want to use only the basics of a game (GURPS is a universal role-play system, see All games provoke mental activity, and this can be pg. 12 for a review) or you may want to use a game as is. channeled toward investigations of a mathematical or scientific By using a role-playing game a basic principle of quality. This brochure highlights some of the many games physics may be altered or dropped completely from a scenario. applicable in math and science classrooms. Games offer not The students then theorize through role-playing how this would just an opportunity for pleasurable learning, they also supple- affect their interaction with the environment. Civilization games ment text book and paper and pencil work with activities that rely on scientific advances such as learning agriculture or allowing the students to experiment and manipulate the metallurgy illustrate how one advancement logically leads to the abstract they have have studied or which they are to explore next advancement. The focus is on the progression from one next and more formally with their teachers. step to the next as a logical sequence. There are role-playing games that maintain a realistic scientific base built on principles Some of the games discussed here have clear, immedi- and technology we understand currently. These games often ate applications in classrooms. Other have been included for make projections of scientific and technological advances that their more subtle instructional possibilities. Many games share might emerge. The students are then able to think through the qualities which observant teachers can use to direct students' logic behind these assumptions. thinking and understanding. Some games have specific Games such as we’ve discussed help students under- advantages in some aspect of mathematics and science. stand the formation of scientific theory, based on logical speculation of outcomes within given perimeters. Role-playing * Every game requires its players to keep track of their actions games are a tool to create simulations, since actual experiments and those of their team mates and opponents, to categorize of these concepts are beyond the scope of the classroom. and organize information, to problem-solve, to form strategies, and many other skills valuable in math and science and life. -RML- * Games of chance rapidly generate extensive examples and data which teachers can examine more closely with their students. Students can track their die rolls, cards, and progress in the game, using this information later to understand better Editor, David Millians, Paideia aspects of arithmetic, probability, statistics, algebra, and School, Atlanta Georgia, USA. Many geometry. teachers know that games are quite useful in the classroom. Some of * Simulations allow teachers to give students hands-on experi- them have been contributing their ence in areas normally inaccessible for them. These can include knowledge to the Games in Educa- astronomy, cutting edge technologies, dinosaurs, disease, tion newsletter that Atlanta teacher massive engineering projects, the stock market, or speculative David Millians has been publishing and as yet unknown questions about the nature of the world or for eight years. the application of new ideas and technology. You cannot always take the class out to play baseball as a means to explor- Mark Simmons is the Executive ing probability, but there is a baseball board game waiting for Director for the Game Manufactur- you! ers Association, GAMA, as well as publisher of Games Quarterly Games are not frivolous activities. They can heighten Catalog. He works and plays in and expand the learning available to the wide range of learners and around the “Crowned City of in any classroom. They can introduce a new concept, allow for the Planes” in Colorado. eager practice of certain skills, and solidify education for chil- dren and adults.

Use what benefits your classroom!

Richard Martin-Leep (-RML-) is Editor of Games Quarterly Catalog and was a Curriculum Director and a Teacher for six and a half years. He was trained in Montessori and ages pre-6. 3 RAILWAY RIVALS IN MATHS CLASS ROBORALLY by Alan Parr, originally appeared in Mathematics in School in by John Ward May 1984 One of our favorite games at my Friday afterschool Railway Rivals, by David Watts, was designed as an aid game days is RoboRally by Wizards of the Coast. You and your to the teaching of geography, and it certainly possesses enough opponents play factory computers participating in an obstacle geographical, historical, and cultural merits to justify its use in course race across the factory floor. You each have several the classroom. It's a game for about four to six players or "copies" (lives) of your racing robot in storage, in case one gets teams and is played on map made up of a grid of hexagons. blown up. Among the obstacles are conveyor belts, pits, cutting The game has two phases. In the first phase the players build lasers, and crushers. Along the way, you can find a repair station competing networks with the intention of connecting towns on or even have options (extra gadgets) put on your robot. the map as efficiently as possible, and in the second phase races are run to make deliveries from one town to another. To begin a turn, everyone is dealt nine cards. You pick the five cards you want your robot to follow and place them in a This game was used in mathematics lessons but could stack IN ORDER. A sample order might be: move forward 2, turn be used as an integrated topic across the whole curriculum. right, move backward 1, turn left, move forward 1. When The children were of well below average ability and had everyone is ready, you all simultaneously flip your first card. The experienced only a fairly limited range of mathematics in which players move in descending order of an index value printed on they had built up a large total of repeated failure, so I particu- the card. The speed index is more or less keyed to the move. larly wanted to show them that mathematics meant more than (970 would be a move forward 3, 20 would be a U-turn.) After lists of sums. We would actually be covering a good deal of everyone has gone, the "board movement" includes moving mathematics without the children realizing it. conveyor belts and firing laser cutters. After five phases (moves) you re-deal. As a special bonus, anyone landing on a two-wrench David Watts, Rostherne, 102 Priory Road, Miford Haven, Dyfed, icon on phase five can have a special fitted option (faster reverse SA73, 2ED United Kingdom; phone 06462-2752 speed, gyroscopic stabilizer, defense shield, more powerful laser).

Alan Parr also produces a range of his own resources A nice feature of this game is that damage doesn't ruin for teaching mathematics. your robot, but it limits your choices. For each point of damage, you receive one less card. For example, with 2 points of damage Alan Parr, 6 Longfield Gardens, Tring, Herts, HP23 4DN, United to your robot, you receive only 7 cards to choose from. Kingdom; 01442-824173; [email protected] I found this game was great for spatial imaging. The students have to plan the moves that their robot will take, often taking conveyor belts or being pushed by other players into account. Interestingly enough to me, strategy came from both extremes of the age set. The sixth-graders quickly figured out that following other people was good (the robots have front- firing lasers) for dealing out damage, and that pushing oppo- nents into pits was sometimes more fun than racing for the first goal post. On the other hand, a second-grader realized that by ending up on the "options" icon four or five turns in a row, he gained enough special options to make up for the time he had lost.

I recommend this game for students from third (late) to adult, and quick students at second grade can handle this easily.

Wizards of the Coast, P.O. Box 707, Renton, Washington 98057-0707

4 THE STOCK MARKET GAME YELLOWSTONE by David Smith by Jared Balter, Lee Pate, and Ty McNulty

In the past, I have used The Stock Market Game to Yellowstone, published by Avalon Hill, is a game about successfully teach eleventh grade students about the stock the animals in Yellowstone National Park. It was created by market and about the Crash of 1929. The game is easily Cathy and Ellsworth Boyd, Rick and Bonny Shipley, and the understood; students buy and sell stocks while minding the children of Carney and Mt. Royal Elementary Schools in Balti- market's rise and fall. Much of the action is based upon the more, Maryland. Yellowstone was published by Avalon Hill "supply" of types of stock and the "demand" of the players. The Game Company in 1985. game uses types of stocks (blue chip, bonds, and so forth) rather than artificially created stocks. This ensures students will This game portrays the natural dangers of life in the learn more about the market than which artificial stocks will wild. Each player guides a herd of wild animals through the park help them win the game. It enables students to understand the collecting food points and avoiding predators. To win, a player real stock market more than any game I have ever seen. must complete a journey from their winter range to their summer range and back with as many of the herd and food I used the game to open every day of my Roaring points as possible. Predators move in the same manner as the Twenties unit, getting students into the spirit of the time. The herd members and are controlled by players in two cases. The transactions took about ten minutes each day. Towards the end first way a player may control a predator is if they roll the correct of the unit, I switched over to the 1929 scenario included in the number on a seasonal event chart. The second way is at the end game and made the market crash to open my unit on the of their turn the player may roll for control of a certain type of 1930s. predator.

The game is very teacher friendly. Its booklet contains The map board of this game reflects the geographic sections on how the stock market works, how to use the game region of Yellowstone fairly well, though it is stylized to facilitate in class, and how to run a 1929 scenario. For Mac users, one of play. The natural insert is very informative and well written. It my former students, Sage Statham, has created an aid using includes a number of interesting facts about the park, how the Hypercard which tracks the stock action of 30 students. This game reflects Yellowstone's natural history, and detailed descrip- means you can use Avalon Hill's game in class without any tions of the animals depicted in the game. paperwork. The Shareware/Freeware costs $5.00 and you can get it from SR Designs, PO Box 942, Mendocino, California There is a simple beginner introductory rules section 95460. Make checks out to Sage Statham. WARNING: The that we feel may be good for elementary students. We believe it program takes quite a bit of memory and will not run on LCs or is entirely too simple and uninteresting for most ten year olds. older Macintoshes. The advanced rules, however, are laid out very well and easily understood, though there are a few sentences that are a little Avalon Hill Game Company, 4517 Harford Road, Baltimore, confusing. Maryland 21214-9989 Ph:(410) 254-9200 or (800) 999-3222 [email protected] Yellowstone is a fun and educational addition to any class that would like to learn about Yellowstone, its animals, or the migratory habits of the inhabitants of the Park. Unfortu- nately there is a limit of four players, so for a class of thirty you might need up to eight copies of the game. Avalon Hill offers a discount for educators.

It is a good idea to play this game several times before teaching it to a class. With proper instruction, a class can learn this game in fifteen minutes and play it in two hours. We had fun learning and playing this game and highly recommend it.

5 GAMES IN MATH CLASS by David Millians These games are all quick to organize and play but vary in their application, intensity, and tone. Aquarius, Cosmic Math teachers have always used a variety of games and Coasters, Fluxx, Fraction Action, Geoshapes, Icehouse, Math activities to introduce, practice, expand, and assess their Smart, Pig Pile, Proton, Vandorian Phlanx, and Zoki are rela- students’ abilities, articulation, interests, and discoveries. We are tively abstract, but some emphasize arithmetic and calculation, ever seeking just the right method to make a concept more while others practice problem solving, memory, and strategy. concrete or to engage a reluctant learner long enough for Others - for example Devil Bunny Hates the Earth, Falling, Girl meaningful practice, internalization, and application to occur. I Genius, and Unexploded Cow - have a more playful tone or find that a mixture of elements offers the best means through greater whimsy, but they are engaging and again practice a which to give my students to explore and expand their math- variety of skills and concepts. Lair of the Sphinx, a collection of ematical world. riddles provides loads of material for examining logic and detail.

In the following paragraphs I describe the place of I typically organize these activities by organizing them games in my math curriculum. For the record, I teach fourth, as work stations or by grouping students into small teams. The fifth, sixth, and seventh grade math classes. My school uses the latter is particularly helpful as I begin to introduce games new University of Chicago’s Everyday Math series, which emphasizes to my students, for it means I have fewer overall groups to a spiraling approach to math concepts and practice. I often instruct or guide as they learn the game. Later in the year they want to supplement our explorations and lectures with addi- can go back to these games much more independently, and tional algorithms, concepts, and especially practice. Of the many of them come to ask if they play these games during the games described below, some live on my game shelf and are breaks in their day. In my math classes I am more and more accessible to the students at all times, so they might choose to able to move among and observe the groups, collecting play them during their breaks. Other games, mostly due to valuable information on each of my students. We also regularly their fragility or initial complexity, I keep with my supplies, discuss games, student strategies, and rules variations, all of bringing them out when necessary. which powerfully expand their ability to conceptualize and communicate. Short Games Longer Games There are groups of children and topics which benefit from short games in the midst of a single class period. All of the There are games and concepts best used when there is following games - mostly card games, dice games, or decep- more time or in situations where more extended practice of the tively simple board games - are appropriate for most or all of games’ imbedded skills is necessary for the students’ benefit. In my math classes: these cases I sometimes have a class period of nothing but games, again usually a number of them, from which students Aquarius either choose or to which they are assigned, much like work Brawl stations or activity centers. Games with which I have had the Cosmic Coasters most success include Bosworth, Charge!, Chebache, Family Devil Bunny Hates the Earth Baseball, Iron Dragon, Res Publica, and Technopoly. Bosworth, Digging: The Card Game of Old West Prospecting Chebache (especially Chebache), Iron Dragon, and Res Publica Economy Class are all relatively abstract. The first two are related to chess and Falling backgammon respectively, while Iron Dragon and Res Publica Fluxx confront players with issues of strategy, trade, and complex Fraction Action interplay. Charge! simulates circumstances of basic, modern, Girl Genius personal economics. Family Baseball simulates baseball of Geoshapes course and leads to extended discussions of accuracy, probabil- The Great Brain Robbery ity, and representation. Technopoly is a fascinating, Silicon The Great Dalmuti Valley variation on Monopoly. They all exercise the mathemati- Icehouse cal mind of their participants. Lair of the Sphinx Magic: The Gathering, Math Smart In addition the shorter games discussed in the previous Morgan’s Revenge section can all of course expand into more extended play, if Ninja Wars needed, and can form the basis for variations or tournaments. Pig Pile The possibilities are vast. Students are often more than eager to Proton play them again. Q Turn Shipwrecked Unexploded Cow Vandorian Phlanx XQ: Family Card Game Zoki

All can all be modified with little effort for students somewhat younger and almost all older.

6 The Big Game

My students and I also spend part of the school year in a project we call Real Life Math, in which they each make a number of personal and financial decision facing young adults and attempt. Each student tries to maintain a reasonable budget and perhaps achieve some of their own dreams for life on their own. It’s always a great dose of reality and an opportunity for insights and discussions. There is a tremendous load of arith- metic, which they eagerly perform and check. There are com- plex relationships between different parts of their imaginary lives. There are meaningful issues and uses of algebra and geometry. There are valuable discussions of the costs and arithmetical options. It is a rich and ongoing activity which also give structure to that part of our school year.

Conclusions

These games make my students more powerful learn- ers, enjoying their exploration of mathematics but also increas- ingly able to generalize their insights and strategies into their classroom learning and future challenges.

I would definitely recommend that any teacher plan- ning to use these games play them beforehand. I do this with friends or with smaller groups of students during a break or “Moon Shot” keeping a student involved and learning. activity period, perhaps in connection with a game club, chess club, or other group within the school.

All of the games discussed herein and contact informa- tion for their publishers can be found in the Review section of this brochure.

Chrononauts asks the question:

What Would You Do With A Time Machine?

7 HANNAH ANDREA I like all sorts of games. I like computer games and a Pig Pile is a great game. Everybody gets nine cards. ton of board games. One of my favorite games would be You put down three face down, not looking at them. Then you Mancala. The game is African, and the game board has two look at your hand. You choose your three highest cards and put rows of bowls with stones, pebbles, or marbles. You play with them down. Then the person to the left of the dealer puts down two players. When I play with my friends, we call if you want to her lowest card(s) and draws a card. You must have three cards play next game against the winner or loser. in your hand at all times. The person next to the dealer plays a card higher than the one down and then draws. The players Another game I like to play in my math group at school take turns playing their cards and then drawing. If you can’t is Captor Factor. You and your partner share a piece of paper play a card, you pick up the pile. with all kinds of factors on it. Whoever goes first picks a num- ber, and the opponent tries to find the multiplication factors of The cards 4, 8, 11, 12, and Hog Wild are special. 4 is that number. If you chose a prime number like 41, then your Hogtied, and you skip the person next to you. 8 is Hogwash. opponent would get a 1, because the only other factor of 41 is That’s when you wash away the pile. 11 is Ewe Turn and re- 41, and that number has been taken. But now it is the other verses the direction. Hog Wild is like a wild card in Uno. You can player’s turn, and she chooses 32. You got 4 x 8, and you think play it when you can’t play a higher card. The best is 12. You that was it. Then your opponent can get 16 x 2. After you have can only play a 12 or a Hog Wild on top of it. your factors, you add them up, and whoever has the highest score wins. After the pile for drawing runs A great computer out, and you don’t have any more game is Strategy Games of the cards in your hand, you use the World. It has a variety of three cards you put down earlier games on it: Nine Men’s Mor- Good in play. After that runs out, you use ris, Gomoku, and Mancala. your face down cards. You flip They are all really great games. them when it’s your turn. Now you have to be lucky. If the card is I like role playing higher, we keep on going. If your games too. It is fun to be a dif- Games cards is lower, you pick up the pile! ferent person in a different world. It’s also fun to get to The first person to win gets three know people when they are a pigs, second gets 2, and third different person. gets 1!

DAVID’S MATH STUDENTS REPORT ON THEIR FAVORITE GAMES SO FAR THIS AUTUMN.

WILL Vandorian Phlanx is my favorite because it is an unusual set up. The board is a circular figure that has white lines going across and up, making it look like a spider web. The board has little pieces, squibs, on it for playing. The pieces look like little crystals. Half are red, and the others are green. The point of the game is to get all of the other colors off the board. You do this by flanking an opposite piece. All you have to do is get two of your pieces around the other. It sounds confusing, but once you get it, you have a lot of fun!

KYLE Ninja Wars is a fun game. You are a clan daimyo in 1517 in Japan. There can be up to four people, and you try to defeat everyone else by de- stroying their units or burning their towns.

KATIE In Blink you look at shapes, numbers, and patterns. I like Blink because you use your skills of math, but it’s fun! I like Pig Pile because you don’t know what cards other people are going to play. The suspense is great, but it’s also fun to come close to winning a game, and then the idea gets knocked out of your head. Pig Pile is a great game!

TAYLOR Totally Tut is a game about math problems. You have two to six players, and you get six triangles with numbers on them. You make arithmetic problems to fill your big triangle and reach your goal number. It is really fun because you have a challenge. 8 ALANA I like Totally Tut because it has more than one person so that you can help people with math. It teaches people how to add, subtract, and multiply. You can have up to six people play- ing. You can have teams. You can take others’ numbers so they can’t win.

ETHAN I think Blink is very fun. The thing about it is that if one person wins one round, there’s no telling who’s going to win the next. It’s like a speed game of Uno, except everybody goes at the same time.

STEVEN My favorite game was Blink because you had to match numbers and colors. You could play the game with your whole class, but I think it’s better if you play with three or four people.

RENEE I like Blink because it’s fast paced and it’s like two games I already play: Spit and Set. The games are common because in Set you have to match a match shape, color, and number. In Spit you have to go really fast so you can get rid of all your cards. Two of my favorite games put in one, what could be bet- ter than this?

SAM Zoki is really cool because I like to try to put squares into big shapes and finding Perimeter. It is fun to go as fast as you can. You get four cards, and you try to connect the cards to make a perimeter with 5 as a factor. Pig Pile is a game where you have to look for patterns and matches to be able to win. That’s why I like it. You try to get rid of your cards and make other people get more cards. I love this game.

CONNOR I like Blink because it went so fast. We all tried to go out at once. The objective of the game is to put NEHA down all of your cards and then say, “Blink!” Vandorian Phlanx is a very funny game. It has funny words and is fun to play. You play with squibs. The words remind me of Harry Potter. In the game you must flank your opponents. To flank someone you must trap the opponent’s squib by surrounding it. There are many strategies. Another neat thing is that you can buy a game board that lights up when you flank your opponent.

ISAAC Zoki is a game a lot like dominoes. The cards are square and have different color lines on them. All of the cards are different. They have to fit together, and each person has four cards. After each turn you add the perimeter, and you get that amount of points. There are many different kind of games you can play, and all of them are fun.

9 REVIEWS - MATHEMATICS Black Death Notes on Reviews Subjects: medieval history, problem solving, reading, social skills, strategy Different kinds of games and different areas of instruction Age Range: 10 and up necessitate different kinds of reviews, so not every review Time: 1 hour parallels every other in forma and content. Almost every game reviewed here incorporates generally beneficial exercises in Black Death is a straightforward, somewhat abstract game of problem solving, reading, social skills of many sorts, and the plagues of medieval Europe. Does that sound like fun? You strategy. play the plagues! Greg Porter sent me a copy, and I gave it to Peter Richards who teaches medieval history to nine and ten All of the review have the following categories. year olds. They loved it! Peter was delighted! The game presents a schematic geography Subjects: from the Levant to Iceland. Infectious diseases spread westward, These are as inclusive, clear, and broad as possible. competing for regions and cities. Very tongue in cheek, this game allows students to explore the factors contributing to Age Range: these very real health hazards. If you are teaching the Middle The age range for a game assumes some adult introduction or Ages to any age group, give this a try. supervision. Many of these games can be played indepen- dently after this introduction, and some require ongoing BTRC (Blacksburg Tactical Research Center) PO Box 1121 supervision, which is specified in the text of the review. Collinsville, VA 24078; 804-846-BTRC

Time: This is a rough guide for how the minimum time necessary to Brawl play the game. Many of these games are more productive and Subjects: problem solving, social skills, strategy enjoyable given more time. Some materials serve more as Age Range: 8 and up teacher resources and so do not have times. Most of these Time: 20 minutes games can be divided or restructured to fit better into a set schedule, and many can be shortened or extended. This game is cool and fast. As its name implies, this is a battle game in which slick, cartoon street kids compete for standing. The action is comic book, not Hollywood. Players deal and draw cards as quickly as they can, using these to land blows, block opponents, and capture victories. Each player draws from a single deck built around a certain style and character. Hot stuff! This game is quickly taught and played, eager young people Aquarius soon mastering its possibilities. It requires little formal math to Subjects: math, problem solving, social skills, strategy play, but it proved useful as a problem-solving and speed Age Range: 7 and up activity in math class. Several students enjoyed the colorful, Time: 20 minutes anime-style art and have been designing their own decks.

Aquarius, “The Grooviest Thing Since Go-Go Boots,” came into Cheapass Games 5212 NE 60th St. Seattle, WA 98115; 206- my hands in early summer from Looney Labs. Both my summer 526-1096/1097 fax [email protected] www.cheapass.com camp kids and my students have enjoyed this game very much. Aquarius is a colorful variation on Dominoes and allows players to place cards in all playable directions rather than simply in a Charge It line. Other cards allow players to move or remove cards on the Subjects: arithmetic, economics, problem solving, social skills, table or even to switch the cards in hand with those of another strategy player. Each player also has a goal card depicting a design. He Age Range: 9 and up or she must arrange to have seven contiguous cards of this Time: 40 minutes design on the table in order to win. Yet another card allows a player to switch even goals with another player! This game looks and plays somewhat like a combination of My students really like this game! They played it for fun all Monopoly and Life. Players begin on an inner track on which summer, and they continue to do so now, especially as days they try to gain sufficient credit ratings to get credit cards. They grow wintry. One group combined it with Fluxx, also from then move to the outer track to make purchases. Each player Looney Labs and reviewed in the last issue of Games & Educa- has a secret goal for victory, usually a combination of cards, tion, allowing any card from either game to be played in two cash, and purchases. simultaneous games! A couple of other teachers at my school My students have begun to devise various ways to make the are using Aquarius as a group game in math classes! game even more realistic and complicated, creating many new math and economics lessons. Looney Labs PO Box 761 College Park, MD 20740: 301-441-1019/4871 fax [email protected] Talicor 8845 Steven Chase Ct. Las Vegas, NV 89149; 800-433- www.looneylabs.com/BackRoom GAME; [email protected] www.talicor.com

10 Chebache Icehouse / Playing with Pyramids Subjects: problem solving, strategy Subjects: problem solving, reading, social skills, strategy, math Age Range: 10 and up Age Range: varies ( 7 and up) Time: one hour Time: 20 to 40 minutes

This is a devilishly intricate game combining chess, backgam- This is a game of many games. The game itself consists of a mon, and checkers. Two players attempt to cross from one box of colorful stackable, pyramids. They come in three sizes corner of the board to the opposite corner, crossing one and four colors. The box also includes a rule booklet covering another’s paths three times. Victory comes from successfully specific rules for Ice Towers, Ice Traders, Martian Chess, and bringing all of your pieces, twelve regular and one king, to your Zarcana. Looney Labs' website includes at last count well over a finish square or by trapping your opponent’s king with your dozen more games to play with these pieces. These various pieces. The options and permutations are as complex as any in games cover problem-solving, math, sequencing, cooperation, its parent games. The board is clear and stark, a field on which and more. the cleverest students can contemplate a host of choices and disasters. Ice Towers is a stacking game in which players are making The rules include guidelines for scoring tournaments, allowing plays at the same time. There are but a few rules, but they many students to compete with one another over an extended produce complex situations and must be monitored both for period or with multiple games occurring simultaneously. your own plays and all those of your opponents.

Pardee Games PO Box 69 Ithaca, NY 14851; 607-272-4718; Ice Traders links the pieces by size and color, allowing players [email protected] www.chebache.com to make plays between some but not others, requiring constant attention to the shifting elements in play.

Geoshapes Martian Chess seems at first take to be a simplification of Subjects: plane geometry, spatial thinking, problem solving, chess, but it has its own convoluted aspects. You can lose reading, social skills, strategy control of a piece to an opponent, but it remains on the board. Age Range: 8 and up In fact to capture pieces, you almost have to sacrifice your Time: 40 minutes capturing piece. Several avid chess players found it very challenging, for it is hard to shake off old understandings in Geo-Shapes combines the feel of Scrabble with geometric order to play well. puzzle challenges. Players attempt to complete one of two geometric shapes and a special circle in their own quadrants, Playing with Pyramids adds many new games to the Icehouse competing with other players for pieces. Special cards literally repertoire. It begins with an examination of several general turn the tables. Many students enjoy the board itself, which is options for Icehouse and a brief history. The new games are covered with shapes, measures, combinations. treasures and the original games are explained at greater length and with more examples. "Thin Ice," "Pikemen," and "Volcano" This game teaches plane geometry, problem-solving, and quick have been especially popular in my classroom. They are active thinking. and challenging. "Zagami" and "Zendo" have been great in math class! "RAMbots" and "Gnostica" are more complex in Talicor Incorporated their play, requiring players to maintain an awareness of several 8845 Steven Chase Court, Las Vegas, Nevada 89129 different options and media. 800-433-4263 Looney Labs, P.O. Box 761, College Park, Maryland 20740; www.looneylabs.com

Sold! Subjects: economics, problem solving, reading, social skills, strategy Age Range: Time: 1 hour

Players compete to accumulate the most valuable collection of antiques. They represent owners of fiercely competitive auction houses. They circulate items through their own displays, though events and restorative work can affect what is available, and they also visit one another's shops. This game is wonderfully visual, having beautiful photographs of antiques, and can be quite complex to play, though the rules and components are straightforward. Many card games support math skills. Check a few out! R & R Games, P.O. Box 130195, Tampa, Florida 33681-0195 813-835-0163 www.RnRGames.com

11 The Very Clever Pipe Game GAME: Mission I.S.S. (International Space Station) PRICE: $4 PRICE: $15 AGES: 10 and up AGES: 10 and up COMPLEXITY: Low COMPLEXITY: Low CLASSES SUITABLE FOR: Classes involving spatial development CLASSES SUITABLE FOR: an dealing with Space issues/current NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-5 events CAN TEAMS BE USED?: No NUMBER OF PLAYERS: up to 4 TIME TO LEARN: 20 minutes CAN TEAMS BE USED?: No TIME TO TEACH: 10 minutes TIME TO LEARN: 60 minutes (rules are ambiguous at points) TIME TO PLAY: 30 minutes TIME TO TEACH: 15 minutes TIME TO PLAY: 45 minutes Cheapass Games 5212 NE 60th St. Seattle, WA 98115 (206) COMMENTS: Requires some cooperation and centers around 526-1096; www.cheapass.com the building of an international space platform. Can be played on a standard school desktop.

GAME: Phoenix Iron Bear Studios 6462 North 85th Street Milwaukee, WI 53224 PRICE: $20 (414)-358-1181 [email protected], AGES: 8 and up (although best with 13 and up) www.ironbearstudios.com COMPLEXITY: low, but requires high-level thinking CLASSES SUITABLE FOR: abstract concepts, order of things, etc NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 Mission I.S.S. CAN TEAMS BE USED?: No Subjects: arithmetic, categorization, history, patterns, planning, TIME TO LEARN: 10 minutes probability, problem solving, social skills, strategy, vocabulary TIME TO TEACH: 10 minutes Age Range: 8 and up TIME TO PLAY: 20 minutes Time: 20 or 30 minutes COMMENTS: This would be very good to have in a 5-6 grade class level for rainy days and indoor recess. You have to move This is the card game of modern satellite launches and the pieces to get them in the same order as the pieces in the board's International Space Station. Players compete as rival nations, center, except both players play cards to switch pieces in order, each attempting to bring larger and more prestigious elements back and forth AND the order in the center! into orbit. This takes planning, resources, and cleverness. Other players are constantly trying to slow or co-opt your plans. All of Eurogames/Descartes USA, Inc. P.O. Box 953 Phoenixville, PA the game components are technically accurate and well pre- 19460 (610) 917-0311 sented, showing careful research in the game's design.

You can use this game in a classroom in many ways. The GAME: Formula De presented technology on the cards can fuel analysis and discus- PRICE: $40 sion. Students can compete in teams as real nations, and you AGES: 10 and up (but my 6 year old has played) can modify the challenges or introduce new components into COMPLEXITY: Low the game. CLASSES SUITABLE FOR: Math, counting NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-10 (bogs down after 6) Iron Bear Studios 6462 North 85th Street Milwaukee, WI 53224 CAN TEAMS BE USED?: No (414)-358-1181 [email protected], TIME TO LEARN: 30 minutes www.ironbearstudios.com TIME TO TEACH: 15 minutes TIME TO PLAY: variable-about 45 minutes/lap of the race COMMENTS: Variable dice can be used to determine probabil- GAME: Survival or Extinction (English and Spanish versions) ity. Or can be used for counting-results can range from 1-30. PRICE: $20 AGES: 7-13 Eurogames/Descartes USA, Inc. P.O. Box 953 Phoenixville, PA COMPLEXITY: Low - Easy 19460 (610) 917-0311 CLASSES SUITABLE FOR: 3-6 grades NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-4 CAN TEAMS BE USED?: No TIME TO LEARN: 30 minutes TIME TO TEACH: 15 minutes TIME TO PLAY: variable COMMENTS: Good to use during dinosaur units. Shows issues/ questions regarding dino survival.

Latz Chance Games Lutsen, MN (218)-663-8130 [email protected]

12 GAME: Chrononauts Agora PRICE: $20 Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinking, economics, AGES: Junior High up higher orderthinking, history, life skills, logic, map reading, COMPLEXITY: Low-Medium patterns, planning, problem solving, social skills, spatial skills, CLASSES SUITABLE FOR: Classes working with cause-effect strategy NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 Age Range: 6 and up CAN TEAMS BE USED?: Not easily Time: 20 minutes or more TIME TO LEARN: 45 minutes TIME TO TEACH: 10 minutes Agora is ostensibly a game of the market of ancient Athens and TIME TO PLAY: 30-60 minutes her sister cities. In truth it is a complex, strategy game of vast COMMENTS: Players are time travelers trying to create a certain possibilities. Players erect stalls and then claim them in order to timeline in Earth's history. Players can end the world, create accumulate wealth and win the game. The market space can peace, etc. "Photocopying for personal use" would be necessary sprawl across the table and across the floor, if the players desire, to have more than two players playing, or else modifying the though a very interesting game can be played in a limited space. rules. (The comments are based on the first Chrononauts from The number of players also dramatically affects the play of the 2001) game.

Looney Labs PO Box 761 College Park, MD 20740; (301)-441- This game is appropriate for young students in math class or 1019/4871 fax [email protected], www.looneylabs.com/ during a simulation of a small economy. Older students can BackRoom explore more deeply its many permutations.

Cheapass Games 5212 NE 60th St. Seattle, WA 98115 (206) GAME: Bosworth 526-1096; www.cheapass.com COMPANY: Out of the Box Games PRICE: $20 AGES: 8 and up (don't mix age groups though) COMPLEXITY: low (although strategies can be complex) Airlines CLASSES SUITABLE FOR: thinking skills Subjects: arithmetic, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-4 geography, higher order thinking, history, logic, map reading, CAN TEAMS BE USED?: No patterns, planning, probability, problem solving, social skills, TIME TO LEARN: 15 minutes spatial skill, strategy, vocabulary TIME TO TEACH: 15 minutes Age Range: High School TIME TO PLAY: 20-60 minutes Time: 1+ hours COMMENTS: It is essentially a 4-player chess variant. This is a rich and complex game of national airlines. Players Out of the Box Publishing, LLC PO Box 14317 Madison, WI compete to organize and operate their growing companies. The 53714 (800) 540-2304 [email protected] www.otb- game offers a remarkable amount of detail and information. games.com Hubs are clearly valuable, and some players will have regional subsidiaries. A variety of resources must be gathered, conserved, and spent as needed or required. Bosworth This game provides a fascinating exploration of the modern Subjects: problem solving, social skills, strategy airline industry and business practices. While it will take some Age Range: 8 and up time to explain and set up with students, it can then provide Time: 40 minutes hours of simulation and conversation. A good discussion would be how well the game simulates reality.There is also an Airlines 2 Bosworth is a clever, visual variation on chess. Two to four players compete for control of an eight by eight board and can Avalanche Press Ltd. PO Box 100852 Birmingham, AL 35210 pursue victory into each others’ camps. The pieces are cards (205)-957-0017/0016 fax [email protected] depicting knights, bishops, and so forth. The cards move as do their comparable chess pieces. This game is quickly taught and learned but has rich variations and complexities of play. This game has proven accessible to children as young as eight, and many then play eagerly on their own. I have used this game in math classes as a problem-solving and strategy activity. The game’s name is taken from the famous battle in which Richard III was to have bellowed, “A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!” and its medieval imagery could be used as a basic, colorful introduction to the warriors and issues of the period.

Out of the Box Publishing, LLC PO Box 14317 Madison, WI 53714; 800-540-2304; [email protected] www.otb- games.com

13 Barnyard Critters Button Brains Subjects: observation, patterns, probability, social skills, strategy Subjects: arithmetic, counting, history of mathematics, plan- Age Range: 4 through 9 ning, probability, problem solving, social skills, strategy Time: 15 minutes Age Range: 9 and up Time: not fixed This is a colorful matching game in which students try to help the farmer locate his wandering critters. Players watch for Button Brains introduces historical mathematicians to the shapes, color, and patterns. They have to think and act quickly popular game Button Men. Now Pythagoras can take on Al- in order to collect the most animal cards to win. Kids eagerly Khwarizmi, Karl Friedrich Gauss can match himself against Paul play Barnyard Critters. ErdoÎs! The same game rules apply, and the game produces My ten year olds created new rules for the cards, even working questions about the characters involved. up to something resembling poker. Teachers of younger stu- The abilities and measures on the different buttons usually dents use this game to practice patterning and to introduce produces interesting discussions about who these math geniuses categories and early arithmetic concepts. where and why the attributes assigned them. Students can design their own buttons for other historical mathematicians. Rio Grande Games, P.O. Box 45715, Rio Rancho, NM 87174; The fact that the game uses polyhedral dice throughout play www.riograndegames.com adds another great math feature to the game.

More Than Games, 421 Cavalcade Court, Fort Wayne, Indiana Bounty: A Game of Piracy, Commerce, and Adventure 46845; (260) 338-0745 [email protected] Subjects: math skills, problem solving, social skills, spatial skills, strategy & planning. Age Range: 8 and up Chaos Chess Time: 30 to 60 minutes Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, geography, higher order thinking, history, life skills, Bounty is a swashbuckling strategy game in which merchants, logic, map reading, patterns, planning, probability, problem warships, and pirates pilot the great ocean in search of exotic solving, reading, social skills, spatial skills, spelling, storytelling, cargoes such as silk and spices, treasure, and survival. Four strategy, vocabulary, writing players or four teams can compete to become the wealthiest Age Range: 11 and up merchant by the end of the game. The rules are simple and Time: somewhat longer than the average game of chess quickly mastered and taught. Players begin as merchants, but may secretly become pirates or warships that serch out pirates. Chaos Chess is more of a game supplement, but it completely Cards drawn from the Treasure Chest change the course of the and deliciously overturns the world of chess. You can use the game with hurricanes, extra support, and trials. The game ideas here in several ways. A deck of cards gives players a comes with plastic ships for markers and plastic doubloons for chance to alter and rescue their pieces. Some cards affect all of money! the pieces on the board. Many kids enjoy this twist on a familiar One of the nicer aspects of this game for classroom use is that game. Avid chess players take some time to adjust to the game, the length of the game can be tailored to fit your needs. which gives the rest of us a fighting chance!

Evil Polish Brothers, LLC 1171 W. Chapala Drive Tucson, AZ Hammerdog Games 1315 Huestis Ave. 85704; (520)-229-8710 Ph/fax www.jumpgame.com Fort Wayne, IN 46807; (260)-456-6547 [email protected] [email protected]

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! Crusoe's Planet Subjects: counting, patterns, planning, probability, social skills, Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinking, deductive strategy, vocabulary reasoning, economics, higher order thinking, life skills, logic, Age Range: 6 - 12 map reading, patterns, planning, probability, problem solving, Time: 5+ minutes social skills, strategy, vocabulary Age Range: 9 and up This hilarious, fast-paced game of insect collecting has colorful Time: 30 minutes or more bug finger puppets which players acquire as they go. Kids love it! The game itself is easy to learn and quick to play. Fifth and In Crusoe's Planet, players compete to survive and escape after sixth graders played for almost an hour and then found the being marooned. A feisty and capricious computer runs the science books in the classroom in order to learn more about the planet and challenges the space sailors to survive its whimsies. creatures in the game. Various exotic flora and flora dot the landscape, and the players You can organize the selection of insects or increase the diffi- need to understand and gather certain amounts and propor- culty and challenge of the game in order to challenge your tions of them in order to succeed. At the same time they are students. I had them earning extra points if they knew certain exploring their environment and trying to establish communica- facts about the bug just captured. tion with the outside world. What seems to be a straightforward game of strategy is actually Patch Products, Inc. PO Box 268 Beloit, WI 53512; 800-524- a subtle simulation of economic issues, skillfully written and 4263 [email protected], www.patchproducts.com articulated by the game developers. Players or teams try to

14 accumulate various resources within various constraints. The game can be used to demonstrate and simulate open markets of various stripes, planned economies, and supposedly free and anarchistic circumstances. The basic game rules are only a few pages. The game comes with substantial scenarios and com- mentary on its many possibilities, the equivalent of many lesson plans.

Leptopus Games, 7909 Bramblewood Drive #2A, Lansing, Michigan 48917 [email protected]

Devil Bunny Needs a Ham Subjects: counting, patterns, planning, probability, problem solving, social skills, spatial skills, strategy Age Range: 7 and up Time: 20 minutes Fantasy Busine$$ This is a ridiculous game of pursuit and nuttiness. Players, Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinking, higher order represented by sous-chefs, race to scale the skyscraper, while thinking, life skills, planning, probability, problem solving, social Devil Bunny tries to knock them off the building. Each player skills, strategy, vocabulary has two or three chefs in play at the beginning of the game. Age Range: 9 an up Each players rolls dice, two or three, to move each chef horizon- Time: 20 minutes tally or diagonally. Anytime a player rolls a 6 on the die, Devil Bunny leaps onto the nearest ascending chef, sending him Students are drawn to Fantasy Busine$$. Though seemingly but plunging. A chef can recover from a low fall, but a high fall a whimsical card game, players engage one another in a fantasy eliminates that piece from the game. It is also possible for one marketplace in which heroes purchase swords, potions, armor, chef to catch another chef. horses, and the other gear they require for their adventures. Silly as it is, this game is a great mental exercise for students. I Players of the game, however, represent merchants competing have often used it in math class. It appeals to kids who like for their business. The cards represent inventory and also allow chess. players to introduce everything from spoilage to anti-trust laws. The rules are short and quickly mastered. Cheapass Games 5212 NE 60th St. Seattle, WA 98115; (206) There is plenty of education in this game! The basic bookkeep- 526-1096; www.cheapass.com ing is good practice in math class. The game demonstrates economic vocabulary. Marketplace concepts can be introduced, tested, and discussed. Students find the overlay of fantasy Diceland engaging, but it does not obscure the game's many fascinating Subjects: critical thinking, higher order thinking, logic, patterns, lessons. planning, probability, problem solving, social skills, spatial skills, strategy Eurogames/Descartes-USA, P.O. Box 953, Phoenixville, Pennsyl- Age Range: 9 and up vania 19460; 610-917-0311; 601-917-0721 (fax); Time: 20 minutes or more [email protected]

Kids like Diceland. It's a combat game, but instead of using cards or chits to represent combat units, each character is a Galloping Pigs cardboard octahedron which rotates as they interact in play. Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinkin, logic, patterns, This fascinating game mechanic is both attractive and challeng- planning, probability, problem solving, social skills, spatial skills, ing to students. Like many of the collectible card games, the strategy basic rules are simple, and additional details are added in play, Age Range: 9 and up in this case by new abilities on different faces of the characters. Time: 15 minutes This game is another interesting math activity. Like any similar game it has lots of inherent insights into probability, while Galloping Pigs is fun! The piggiest player goes first, and each Diceland is also a fun dip into solid geometry. My students have tries to have the most successful combination of three laps experimented with the octahedral playing pieces and with the around the circuit, trying to have the leading pig on every possibilities in other polyhedrons. move, especially the final lap of each round. Depending upon the cards drawn, however, a player will undoubtedly have to Cheapass Games 5212 NE 60th St. Seattle, WA 98115; (206) switch among several of the racing pigs in order to score. 526-1096; www.cheapass.com This game is fast-paced and easy to learn. It keeps players on their toes and makes victory unclear until the very end of the game. I often use it during math activity periods.

Rio Grande Games, P.O. Box 45715, Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87174; www.riograndegames.com

15 The Gnumies Mission I.S.S. Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinking, logic, patterns, Subjects: arithmetic, categorization, history, patterns, planning, planning, problem solving, social skills, strategy probability, problem solving, social skills, strategy, vocabulary Age Range: 8 and up Age Range: 8 and up Time: 30 minutes Time: 20 or 30 minutes

My students love this game! It is a surprisingly complex game in This is the card game of modern satellite launches and the which players try to accumulate the best combination of International Space Station. Players compete as rival nations, gnummies for a party. Some gnummies are good, and others each attempting to bring larger and more prestigious elements cause problems with one another or are party-poopers. All color into orbit. This takes planning, resources, and cleverness. Other aside, this game forces its players to constantly recalculate the players are constantly trying to slow or co-opt your plans. All of strength of their hands and the choices before them. In this way the game components are technically accurate and well pre- it resembles complex poker or mah jong. sented, showing careful research in the game's design. I often offer this game as a choice during activity days in my You can use this game in a classroom in many ways. The math classes. Its apparently simplicity lures many students and presented technology on the cards can fuel analysis and discus- then challenges them in the game's growing complexity. sion. Students can compete in teams as real nations, and you can modify the challenges or introduce new components into Rio Grande Games, P.O. Box 45715, Rio Rancho, New Mexico the game. 87174; www.riograndegames.com Iron Bear Studios; 6462 North 85th Street, Milwaukee, Wiscon- sin 53224; www.ironbearstudios.com GRYB Game System Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinking, logic, patterns, planning, problem solving, social skills, spatial skills, strategy Nexus Age Range: 4 and up Subjects: logic, patterns, planning, probability, problem solving, Time: 10 minutes or more social skills, spatial skills, strategy Age Range: 7 or 8 and up GRYB is a mat on which students can play several games. A Time: about 20 minutes large square connects to smaller squares at each of its corners, and each of these links to still smaller squares, continuing the Nexus is an abstract strategy game. Two to four players or progression for several levels. Players place their pieces which teams take turns placing cards which form connected collec- can then descend to other levels, the lower levels garnering tions of nodes. A set of contiguous nodes and connectors is a more points. Moves can come down to a choice between nexus and can score points for that player or team. Players claim collective control and individual power. a nexus by placing counters on the nodes of the nexus, but the You can vary the game's degree of challenge for your students' nexus can only score as many points as its unoccupied nodes. and classroom needs. Many students enjoyed examining the Strategies quickly grow complicated. complexities of the game board itself outside of play. I like to use this game of spatial problem-solving and strategy in my math class. It is the kind of puzzle that strengthens kids' JDB Games, P.O. Box 11561, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87192; mental math muscles, but it also often a successful activity for www.jdbgames.com kids who are not as strong in textbook mathematics.

Cheapass Games 5212 NE 60th St. Seattle, WA 98115; (206) Magi-Nation 526-1096; www.cheapass.com Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinking, logic, patterns, planning, probability, problem solving, social skills, strategy Age Range: 8 and up Time: 5 minutes or more

Magi-Nation is a fast-paced card game of the imagination in which players duel for supremacy, drawing upon the ancient powers of the magical landscape. The game rules are straight- forward and clearly presented, making the game quick to learn and play. Kids are quickly drawn to the evocative animÈ art and engaging play. I have used this game in math class, for it practices arithmetic and probability continually. Interactive Imagination has an excellent system of games and tournaments in their league, which has a kid and family friendly atmosphere.

Interactive Imagination 81 S. Main St. Seattle, WA 98104; 206- 264-7598; www.magi-nation.com

16 Petcha Don't Know Subjects: critical thinking, problem solving, social skills, strategy, Tyranny Games, LLC. 804 Robertson St. Wauwatosa, WI, 53213; veterinary science, vocabulary, zoology 414-617-9797; [email protected] Age Range: 9 and up www.tyrannygames.com Time: 10 minutes to an hour or more

This game is built along the lines of the many familiar trivia Stock Market Tycoon games. In Petcha Don't Know up to six players or teams of Subjects: arithmetic, counting, critical thinking, economics, players compete to answer questions in different categories of higher order thinking, life skills, logic, planning, probability, animals. If a team answers three questions in a category, they problem solving, social skills, strategy, vocabulary may add that animal to their puzzle. The first team to complete Subjects: arithmetic, history, problem solving, social skills, its puzzle wins. strategy, vocabulary Though many of the questions baffled younger players, they Age Range: 8 and up played eagerly just to learn more about some of their favorite Time: 30 minutes or more creatures. I have often allowed for consultation and research when playing this game in school. It's a wonderful introduction This is an excellent simulation of many of the issues, opportuni- to the animals in our own homes and can lead into broader ties, and pitfalls of modern stock investment. The board re- explorations and observations of fauna. The game could also be sembles that of Monopoly, so the basics of the game are already an activity or assessment at the conclusion of a unit of study familiar for many students. The rule book itself is only a few covering our fine feathered, furred, and scaled friends. pages in length, so the game is quick to introduce and play. The complexities of the game are in record keeping and in the Patch Products, Inc. PO Box 268 Beloit, WI 53512; 800-524- variety of possible choices and combinations. 4263 [email protected], www.patchproducts.com Students must use their arithmetic skills constantly in this game. It can act as practice or even a test, for their record sheets provide the teacher with data about each student's computation Pipe Game and paperwork, something they often try to hide in more Subjects: critical thinking, higher order thinking, logic, patterns, traditional formats. This game also introduces a variety of planning, probability, problem solving, spatial skills, strategy economics and market concepts, creating further opportunities Age Range: 7 and up for learning. Time: 5 minutes or more Vida Games, LLC. 3277 White Mountain Highway North Pipe Game challenges players to construct linked sections of Conway, NH 03860 (866) 769-0269 www.vidagames.com cards. Players can compete to complete pipe segments, back- grounds, or both. While the game is simple in the beginning, it can be taken to extremely challenging levels. In some games Tenjo players are at the same time each scoring through quite Subjects: arithmetic, critical thinking,, higher order thinking, different combinations. Young students can learn the game history, logic, map reading, patterns, planning, probability, quickly and play for hours. Experienced players and older problem solving, social skills, spatial skills, strategy, vocabulary students can find it deeply challenging as well. Age Range: Jr High School and up Time: 2 hours or more Cheapass Games 5212 NE 60th St. Seattle, WA 98115 (206) 526-1096; www.cheapass.com This is a remarkable, evocative game of conflict and diplomacy set in sixteenth century Japan. It is somewhat complex but can form a strong core or example in a study of feudal Japan or Sack Armies: Expeditionary Force conflict in general. Cards, dice, and wealth tokens drive and Subjects: arithmetic, counting, geography, logic, map reading, represent the game as it is played (making this a suitable game planning, probability, problem solving, social skills, spatial skills, for the math classroom). strategy The seemingly abstract board features soon become concrete Age Range: 9 and up elements of strategy and geography. The game is a good Time: 10 minutes or more opportunity to examine map symbols and probabilities. Go see Kurosawa's Ran, and then play this game! This game plays with imaginatively illustrated, hex-shaped cards roughly the size of a dollar coin. Some cards for the play board, WhySpire? Games 45 Tauruus Dr. Novato, CA 94947; 888-481- and others represent groups of fantasy creatures and effects. 1101; [email protected], www.tenjo.com Players send their forces across the No-Man's Lands to take more territory while at the same time trying to defend their own lands. Game play is fast, once players have mastered a few basic rules and concepts. The initial layout took us some time to grasp. Students have enjoyed this challenging game and spend extra time examining its variables and probabilities. Some students have made their own cards in order to play with a greater variety of choices. It has been a great excursion into art and design. 17 U.S. Patent No. 1 Zocchi Dice Subjects: arithmetic, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, Subjects: arithmetic, counting, logic, patterns, probability, higher order thinking, history, life skills, logic, map reading, spatial skill planning, probability, problem solving, reading , social skills, Age Range: 5 and up! spatial skills, strategy, vocabulary, writing Time: n/a Age Range: 10 and up Time: 30 minutes or more Lou Zocchi is a dice master, having created several unique random devices and spent years exploring their many interest- In this game each player has just invented a time travel device, ing applications. He has the famous zocchihedron, a die with but it does not really matter who invented it earlier or later. Each one hundred faces and a moving part to bring it to a resolution player is racing to reach the patent office first, that is, on July 30, more swiftly and clearly. He has a dice with unusual numbers of 1790, the day it first opened for business. Upon reaching the sides: seven, eighteen, and twenty-six. Many of the dice also patent office, with or without a working time machine, a player come with stickers for customizing their result images. Some of must take a number in line, though he can leave and pursue his the dice have faces of unequal area, which may at first seem to other objectives, as long as he returns in time for his appoint- be a drawback, but students can generate a large number of ment and now (then?) has a working time machine. Meanwhile results and then work out the probabilities of the dice, providing other players race to complete their own time machines and a deep examination of probability based on data collection! attempt to foil the journeys of their competitors. Whew! The possibilities are many with these kind of dice and Lou This game is a brilliant dash through history and technology, the Zocchi is a master in the field. Gamescience has several activity assorted elements and imagery of the time machines making for sheets. Ask for them! great discussions and research. What is that really? The syntax and terminology alone are wonderful, and the players tend to Gamescience, 7404 Newton Drive R. R. 9, North Biloxi, Missis- concoct much of this themselves! Have students write a narra- sippi 39532-2830; 228-392-4177 tive about their journeys. Have them analyze the many probabil- ity elements inherent in movement and their places in line at the patent office.

Cheapass Games 5212 NE 60th St. Seattle, WA 98115 (206) 526-1096; www.cheapass.com

GAMES FOR TEACHERS OFFICIAL FORM PHOTOCOPY THIS FORM, AND USE ONE FORM FOR EACH GAME YOU WANT TO PROCURE This form may only be used by a professional teacher at an accredited school. If you think you should also be able to use this form, submit credentials to GAMA’s Executive Director, or Games in Education Committee Chairman. If you need information from any manufacturer as to available products contact them first. Be sure to ask for their standard freight costs, in case that isn’t in the catalog they send you. When you know what games you want, use this form. If applicable to your school or district, attach purchase order. Always include appropriate payment or credit card information. Payment must be with order. No manufacturer can extend credit for this program. Submit the completely filled-in form to manufacturer; incomplete forms must be rejected. TO: Company ______FROM: Teacher ______Send one free copy of ______School ______AND / OR... Shipping Address ______Send six copies at 50% discount, plus shipping, of City ______State/Province ______Zip/Postal Code ______Country ______PAYMENT Telephone (______)______Enclosed is check for payment in full. Fax (______)______Please charge my credit card, type ______Non-Profit Status (type) ______Card Number ______Non-Profit Tax Exempt Number ______Expiry Date ______School District ______Name on Card ______This program allows teachers to accept reimbursement from their school or district, if available. I warrant that I will not sell, barter or trade the games supplied in this program. SIGNATURE ______BY

______The objective of the Game Manufacturers Association is to promote the general interest of all persons engaged in the buying, selling, licensing, or manufacturing of gaming products. Naturally, if we can help you teach with games we all win!

18 GamesGames ForFor TeachersTeachers Game publishers are naturally interested in teachers using games to educate. Some are willing to give you their games free, some are able to sell you games at wholesale prices. Here’s a list of manufacturers who have agreed to send teachers a free sample and/or sell you a casepack of six games at 50% discount (six is a normal case pack, so this quantity is easy for the manufacturer to simply put a shipping label on and send them to you). To order, you must fill in the form on the opposite page, being sure to include all information. Note that this is not an endorsement of any manufacturer, just a listing of those who agreed to participate in this program.

Games Quarterly Catalog is the industry guide to what’s currently available- thousands of games and roughly 38,000 game-related products. It’s primarily a comprehensive price listing, however hundreds of games are pictured and described. The publisher of Games Quarterly Catalog is also GAMA’s current Executive Director. Teachers who mail a request for the current edition of Games Quarterly Catalog can get a copy for $5 (use the games order form, please). Include in your request the school you teach at, its address, daytime phone number, and subject(s) you teach. Mail to: GQC for Teachers, 80 Garden Center Suite 16. Broomfield, CO. 80020 Participating Manufacturers May Discontinue Their Offer Without Notice Contact GAMA Executive Director for Current List Offer a 6-pack of Games at 50% discount, accept credit card Offer Free Sample Game payments, at least VISA and MasterCard, so form can come by fax. Agents of Gaming, Dave Frank, 7672 McEwen Road, Dayton OH 45459, Fax 937-436-2461 Agents of Gaming, Dave Frank, 7672 McEwen Road, Dayton OH 45459, Fax 937-436-2461 Avalanche Press, John Morris, P.O. Box 100852, Birmingham AL 35210 Fax: 205-957-0016

Atlas Games, John Nephew, PO Box 131233, Roseville, State/Prov: MN 55113 Fax: 651-638-0084 Backstage Press, Anthony J. Gallela Broomfield, CO 80020 Cell: 415-577-6783 Avalanche Press, John Morris, P.O. Box 100852, Birmingham AL 35210 Fax: 205-957-0016 Basement Games c/o Rain Sirovy PO Box 299, Collingswood, NJ 08108 Fax: (856) 962-0177 Basement Games c/o Rain Sirovy PO Box 299, Collingswood, NJ 08108 Fax: 856-962-0177 Brittannia Game Designs Ltd, Steve Turner, 94 Laurel Road, Dudley, West Midlands, United Kingdom Zip: DY1 3EZ Fax: +44 1384 235244 Brittannia Game Designs Ltd, Steve Turner, 94 Laurel Road, Dudley, West Midlands, United Kingdom Zip: DY1 3EZ Fax: +44 1384 235244 Chaosium, Charlie Crank 900 Murmansk St, Suite 5, Oakland CA 94607 Fax 510-452-4659 Chaosium, Charlie Crank, 900 Murmansk St, Suite 5, Oakland CA 94607 Fax 510-452-4659 Clockworks, Aaron Rosenberg 5765 73rd Place, 1st Flr, Maspeth, NY 11378 Cheapass Games, Nicole Lindroos, 5212 NE 60th Street, Seattle WA 98115 Fax 206-526-1097 Columbia Games, Inc., Tom Dalgliesh POB 3457, Blaine, WA 98231 Fax: 360/366-3313 Clash of Arms Games, Charlie Spiegel, Byrne Building #205, Lincoln & Morgan Sts., Phoenixville, PA 19460 Fax: 610 935 7622 Cosmic Wimpout, Lynne at the Clubhouse, P.O. Box 3199 Greenfield MA 01301 Fax 413-624-8951

Cosmic Wimpout, Lynne at the Clubhouse, P.O. Box 3199 Greenfield MA 01301 Fax 413-624-8951 Green Knight Publishing, Contact: Wizard's Attic, Eric Rowe 900 Murmansk Street #7, Oakland CA 94607 Fax: 510-452-4952 Filsinger Games, Tom Filsinger P.O. Box 3493, Jamestown, NY 14702 Fax 716-483-5756 *51 Guardians Of Order, Mark C. MacKinnon Flying Buffalo, Rick Loomis PO Box 1467, Scottsdale AZ 85252 Fax: 480-994-1170 176 Speedvale Ave West, Unit #2, Guelph, Ontario Canada N1H 1C3 Fax:(519) 821-7636

Gold Rush Games, Margaret Arsenault, PO Box 2531, Elk Grove, CA 95759 Fax: 413- 383-3140 Holistic Design Inc, Chris Wiese 5295 Hwy 78 D-337, Stone Mountain GA 30087 Fax: 770-592-7475 Green Knight Publishing, Contact: Wizard's Attic, Eric Rowe 900 Murmansk Street #7, Oakland CA 94607 Fax: 510-452-4952 Latz Chance Games. Ayal Latz P.O. Box 251, Lutsen MN 55612 Fax 218-663-8131

Guardians Of Order, Mark C. MacKinnon Rio Grande Games, Jay M Tummelson PO Box 45715, Rio Rancho NM 87174 Fax: 505-771-8967 176 Speedvale Ave West, Unit #2, Guelph, Ontario Canada N1H 1C3 Fax: 519-821-7636 R&R Games, Inc., Frank DiLorenzo PO Box 130195, Tampa FL 33681-0195 Fax: 813-835-0245 Holistic Design Inc, Chris Wiese, 5295 Hwy 78 D-337, Stone Mountain GA 30087 Fax: 770-592-7475 Steve Jackson Games, Ross Jepson Box 18957, Austin TX 78760 Fax: 512-447-1144

Latz Chance Games. Ayal Latz P.O. Box 251, Lutsen MN 55612 Fax 218-663-8131 Stupendous Games, Stuart John Bernard 2804 East Oakland Ave Bloomington, IL 61704 (no Fax) Looney Labs, Kristin Looney Post Office Box 761, College Park, MD 20740 Fax: 301-441-4871 Other Offers Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc., will provide copies of Star Fleet Missions, a card game based Out of the Box Publishing, Al Waller 2722 Oakridge Ave., Madison WI 53704 Fax: 800-637-4201 on original Star Trek, for $5 each (one-third of the retail price of $14.95) plus shipping ($4 for one game, $5 total for two or more). Star Fleet Missions is suitable for ages 8 and up, Patch Products P.O. Box 268, Beloit, WI 53512-0268 Fax: 608-362-6896 and teaches problem solving and strategy. It can be learned in 15 minutes and played in 30 Precedence Entertainment, Inc., Dave Hewitt minutes. Contact Leanna Cole, PO Box 8759, Amarillo TX 79114. Fax 806-351-2585. We PO Box 28397, Tempe AZ 85285 Fax: 480-894-2028 can accept Visa or Mastercard.

Rio Grande Games, Jay M Tummelson PO Box 45715, Rio Rancho NM 87174 Fax: 505-771-8967 Black Knight Games will ship a free copy of Fantasy Legend, a miniatures game, and other Black Knight game for the cost of shipping ($4.00 per copy). Fantasy Legend(tm) is a game R&R Games, Inc., Frank DiLorenzo PO Box 130195, Tampa FL 33681-0195 Fax: 813-835-0245 written by a parent concerned about what younger players might read. The game is completely 'safe' for kids as there is no nudity, gothic reference, or racial undertones. Black Steve Jackson Games, Ross Jepson Box 18957, Austin TX 78760 Fax: 512-447-1144 Knight Games, 1690 Kestrel Lane, Blue Mounds WI 53517 Fax 608-437-7634 Thunder Castle Games, Mike Sager P. O. Box 578, Lee’s Summit MO 64063 Fax 816-525-4564 Osprey Publishing Ltd., a publisher of books (including historical topics) will supply any quantity copies of a BOOK that a teacher requests, at a price of 40% off suggested retail, plus shipping cost. Our shipping for 6+ books is free. OspreyDirectUS, PO Box 130, Sterling Heights, MI 48311-0130 Fax: 248-399-6194 We accept Visa or Mastercard. Offer a 6-pack of Games at 50% discount, but cannot accept credit card payments, so send check with form. Forgotten Futures, a British Victorian/Edwardian role playing game, is distributed on CD- ROM with copyright-free period fiction, articles and illustrations, many of educational Backstage Press, Anthony J. Gallela Broomfield, CO 80020 Cell: 415-577-6783 interest, in HTML format. The author will provide one copy per educational institution for Masters of Role Playing Magazine, Jason Anderson $22 including postage {normally $33; UK price £12 (normally £18)}; files may be P.O. Box 114, American Fork, UT 84003 Fax: 801-796-5584 networked. Marcus L. Rowland, 22 Westbourne Park Villas, London W2 5EA, ENGLAND Payment by dollar or sterling cheque only. Contact them, quoting "Educational discount Clockworks, Aaron Rosenberg 5765 73rd Place, 1st Flr, Maspeth, NY 11378 offer".

Earwig Enteprises 1806 Milmont Ave PM Box 102, Milpitas, CA 95035 Fax:(408) 942-6815 Flying Buffalo Inc has some simulation games that can be played by mail or email with us as the referee, and that free information is available from Flying Buffalo PO Box 1467, Inner City Games Designs, Chris Clark, 36460 North Highway 45, Lake Villa IL 60046, Fax: (847) Scottsdale, AZ 85252 or email [email protected]. 356-7484 (call first - same number as phone) Stupendous Games, Stuart John Bernard 2804 East Oakland Ave Bloomington, IL 61704 (no Fax) Columbia Games Inc has a 30% discount offer on historical (only) games for teachers, schools or homeschool families. POB 3457 Blaine, WA 98231; 800/636-3631 toll free; www.columbiagames.com Eagle Games 13731 Capista Plainfield, IL. 60544: 815-577-8920/8921fax. www.eaglegames.net These are large Historical board games suitable for classroom simulations and excellent unit projects (especially their Civil War Game). contact them for special educational offers of up to 50%.

19 Games Bring FriendsFriends Together...Together...

toto EducateEducate andand Entertain.Entertain.

The objective of the Game Manufacturers Association is to promote the general interest of all persons engaged in the buying, selling, licensing, or manufacturing of gaming products. Naturally, if we can help you teach with games we all win!

GAMA 80 Garden Center, Suite 16 Broomfield, CO 80020 Phone: 303-635-2223 fax: 303-469-2878 www.gama.org The complete series of Games In Education brochures are available in PDF formate; www.gama.org

Version 2.0, Printed June 2003. his brochure includes articles from eight years of Games in Education monthly newsletters, edited by David Millians, Paideia School, Atlanta Georgia USA and Mark Simmons, GAMA Executive Director. Published by GAMA, the Game Manufacturers Association. © 2003 GAMA, the Game Manufacturers Association. Permission to photocopy but not sell is granted. All other rights reserved.

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