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Math Blast is a computer game and mathematics teaching tool targeted towards kindergarten students. The inspiration from an arcade style video game called “Bust A Move.” Our game incorporates a similar setup, where falling bubbles need to be removed before reaching the bottom of the screen. Rather than matching similar colors to get bubbles to disappear, like Bust A Move, the player must match numerical balls to complete arithmetic equations.

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For example, if there is a “5” bubble attached to a “2” bubble and an “8” bubble on the screen, and the player hits the “5” bubble with a “3” bubble, (5-2=3 and 8-5=3) all four bubbles (“2,” “3,” “5,” and “8”) will disappear, this scenario is illustrated in situation A. In situation B, the “3” bubble is going to hit the “2” bubble only, (5-2=3) so three bubbles (“2,” “3,” and “5”) will disappear. In situation C, the “3 bubble is going to hit the “7” bubble only. Here, no correct equation is made (7+5≠3 and 7-5≠3). This will result in the “3” bubble simply attaching to the “7” bubble, with no bubbles disappearing.

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After the game’s final release, we approached a local Ann Arbor kindergarten and offered the teachers free versions of our software for their students.

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