A game more fun than Angry Birds? Well, that's definitely the impression the new DragonBox is giving people.
DragonBox is a revolutionary math game that has kids more interested in algebra than ever, without them even realizing it. The secret is that this innovative game avoids the tedious equations and math quizzes, and replaces them with a simple game involving cards and a magical box.
"Our aim has been to make a game that is as fun as 'Angry Birds', as fascinating as 'Cut the Rope', and as addictive as 'Temple Run', Jean Baptiste Huyhn, Co-founder and CEO of WeWantToKnow said in a press release." As they're playing, they begin to understand the simple concepts that underlie all equations. Having tested this with several hundred kids in the age of six to 18, this method has proved to work. After one hour of playing the game, more than 30 % were able to solve equations, and after two hours of playing the game between 60 and 80 % were able to solve equations."
DragonBox was pre-launched in Norway to let school, children and parents test the game and almost immediately, it became the most purchased app in Apple's App Store in Norway, which kicked more traditional games off the list. More than 10% of all iPad users in Norway downloaded and bought DragonBox within the first few weeks.
"I worked as math teacher for several years, and have seen how many young kids struggle with math. It's easy for students to lose motivation and give up. They become convinced that math is too difficult for them. With DragonBox we want to change that and help kids believe in themselves and their own abilities," Mr. Huyhn said.
The first version of the game was tested at Li Junior High School in Norway, after nine months of development, and positive feedback was received.
"We have tested DragonBox in our school and have experienced some serious positive results. We believe that DragonBox and other games built upon the concept of game-based learning will have a huge potential in schools and education. The key to success is to be able to integrate these games into the daily life of education," Linda Tomtsveen, teacher at Li Junior High School said.
DragonBox is designed for iPads and Adroid tablets, but also works well on iPhones and Android phones. A special version is available for Mac computers. DragonBox costs $5.99 for the tablet version and $2.99 for the phone version. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
