Learning a new skill can be broken down into two components, understanding it conceptually and being able to use it. Understanding often comes first, but not always. It is entirely possible to ride around the block a few times before understanding that the bike’s pedals are driving the rear wheel and the handlebars are turning the front wheel. In fact, we often learn by mimicking the actions of others and waiting till later for a realization of why those actions work.

These games help build facility with math skills so you can use them when you need them. In scientific terms, the games help build neural pathways in your brain, like paths in a forest that lead to useful places. The more you play the games, the more the pathways develop, until the skill becomes second nature.

Understanding the why of a concept may come while you are playing a game. For instance, the game Strands contains questions about finding the point on a line segment that divides it into a certain ratio or divides off a certain percentage. Though the game only requires that you type in the correct coordinates, it would be hard to keep from imagining the line segments as fence lines in a field, rope in a game of tug-of-war, or the distance between Earth and its moon. From there you may picture the point on the tug-of-war rope \(\frac{1}{4}\) of the way from one end and \(\frac{3}{4}\) of the way from the other end.

Each game presents problems in a variety of formats and difficulty levels. Successful players will be able to recognize problems that can be solved quickly and easily, using a different approach than for the more challenging problems. Successful players also know when to grab the calculator, when to start scribbling numbers on a piece of paper, and when to do the math in their heads.

Most of all though, you should know that the more you play, the better you will get. It is common for a first attempt at a game to score in the 6,000-7,000 range. Invariably, the next few plays will increase that score to a respectable 8,000 or higher. Focus on solving the problems as quickly and accurately as you can. The rest will fall into place.

Selling access to the games prevented people from using them, and therefore from learning. I have decided to open the games up for anyone who wants to use them. Keep in mind that you should contact me for a free account if you want scores to be recorded and appear in the reports and leader boards. I can set up individual student accounts or teacher accounts that will manage whole groups of students. Contact me at mgreenberg1520@gmail.com if you are interested.

If you link directly to a game, give me, Mark Greenberg, credit for having created the games.

To make the title banner's image, I used Photoshop and a program called Frax HD. The image is my own intellectual property, and I reserve all rights regarding its distribution.

I downloaded this page's background image, called subtle grunge, from subtlepatterns.com. The image's author is Breezi. The image is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license. I also use this background throughout the site.