Flex your design abilities with no limits, but you have to make it educational. lol Try to make a fun math game for instance that the game needs it. Come on this one has no restriction so you can post a small idea and let other rate how "Fun" and "Educational" it is. Here is an example of what kind of math at this site. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/quiz/Quiz.aspx?QuizID=95 Let’s see everyone talks about not wanting restrictions so now you have it, so this should be interesting. Also you don’t have to post the entire idea just some suggestions could be fine as well.

How does this not have restrictions? Being educational is a huge restriction.

I don''t know what you expect us to do, pull rabbits out of our hats? The only design that would cover that material would be a form of drilling and practicing. I remember trying an early 90s version of Math Blaster; it had a bunch of different scenes where you did arithmetic problems, but really all the scenes were the same, and included some stupid delays for cut scenes and the like that slowed down the point of the game; to get better at it.

Similarly, there were two versions of German grammar tutor software at my school, one for the ancient Apple IIes which got removed last year(my senior year), and one for the Mac and Windows. They had essentially the same function, but guess what? The old software was *better* than the new kind. The newer version didn''t correct your mistakes, and it was more ambiguous in its questions and had a username/lesson interface that we never actually had any use for.

From my current perspective, I realize that the best kind of software in this vein, where the goal is to improve and nothing more, is to get it as simple as possible and then refine it until the process of learning has NO delays other than those of the user.

For the algebra and geometry problems given, I would first immediately eliminate the stupid words and pictures. Nobody in school liked them, and they did not expand our abilities to apply the techniques to the real world one bit.

Then, for each problem, I would give an electronic toolset of algebraic and geometric manipulations, something I would have died for while learning. Going "durr, what do I do next - teacher teacher help me (whine)" is unproductive, but when all the tools you need to solve each problem are right on the screen, such moments are lessened. Mistakes in solving the problem would be immediately pointed out with a program that tried to solve it each time the student made another step - failure to solve would give the student immediate feedback that the solution is not found by what he''s doing.

Then I would order all the problem types by topic.

Then I would offer a mini-lecture in text with an optional visual presentation for each type of problem. Lots of examples, too.

Then I would allow users to create accounts with the system, and let them create a course plan.

After that, it''s all up to the person running it. If a school enforced an hour or so of work with it each day, it''d probably be more effective than regular homework.

That doesn''t sound like much of a game, but games don''t necessarily have to entertain. If this game makes the practice more efficent, then everyone will have more time to spend on things that they *really* find fun.

hack hack hackin'' away

Gotta join the chorus. The design games are getting old fast. Look for meaningful topics, please.

ld

If you can’t do it fine, but quit complaining about it and let someone else do it!
Look at this site how it encourages and they have a contest for it and they know it can be done. Even Richard Garriott is for that since his games reflected it and he will be the contest advisor.
The site
http://www.hiddenagenda.com
The guidelines
http://www.hiddenagenda.com/Sections/411/Teaching_List.html

Sheesh I even came up with a few ideas about a math game in how it can be fun kind of like lemmings and some want to cop out and say it’s a restriction?

Remember “professionals” never complain it can’t be done they find a way to do it and many of them tell me that which are in different professions.

Professionals can also quit.