Software:Donkey Kong Jr. Math

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Short description: 1983 edutainment video game by Nintendo
Donkey Kong Jr. Math
North American box art featuring Donkey Kong next to a subtraction exercise
Developer(s)Nintendo R&D2
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Toshihiko Nakago
Composer(s)Yukio Kaneoka
SeriesDonkey Kong
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
Genre(s)Edutainment, platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is an edutainment platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a spin-off of the 1982 arcade game Donkey Kong Jr. In the game, players control Donkey Kong Jr. as he solves math problems set up by his father Donkey Kong. It was released in Japan in 1983 for the Family Computer, and in North America and the PAL region in 1986.

It is the only game in the Education Series of NES games in North America, owing to the game's lack of success. It was made available in various forms, including in the 2002 GameCube video game Animal Crossing and on the Virtual Console services for Wii and Wii U in 2007 and 2014 respectively, and in 2024 for the Nintendo Classics service. Donkey Kong Jr. Math was a critical and commercial failure. It has received criticism from several publications including IGN staff, who called it one of the worst Virtual Console games.

Gameplay

Two players compete by creating arithmetic equations to reach the number held by Donkey Kong (top center). Player 1 (middle left) climbs vines to acquire numbers. Player 2 (bottom right) stands on its starting platform.

The game features two modes, one single-player and the allowing for one to two players.[3][4] Its mechanics are similar to its predecessor, Donkey Kong Jr.[3] The Calculate mode has Donkey Kong hold up a number, which players must attempt to reach by collecting a combination of digits and arithmetic symbols to eventually reach that number.[3] Players must climb vines to reach these figures.[5] The +−×÷ Exercise requires players to solve fixed math puzzles by climbing chains to reach the correct numbers and arithmetic symbols to do so.[3][5]

Development

Donkey Kong Jr. Math was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 2 and designed by Toshihiko Nakago.[6] It was published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Family Computer (Famicom).[6][7] It reuses its engine, assets, and gameplay from Donkey Kong Jr.[8][3][5] It was a part of the Educational Series on the NES, a series that was originally supposed to have three entries, including music game Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). [ja], but was the only one released under that line.[9] A lack of success by the game was attributed by a Nintendo spokesman to be the reason Nintendo did not make more educational titles.[10] It was the first spin-off title Nintendo made.[7]

The game was first released in Japan on December 12, 1983, and was released shortly after together with Donkey Kong Jr. as a licensed multicart (released in a bundle together with Sharp's C1 NES TV).[11][12] In August 1995, the Sharp multicart was re-released separately from the C1 NES TV.[12] The game has been released on other platforms, including the video game Animal Crossing, which featured several NES games.[13] Donkey Kong Jr. Math was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on March 27, 2007,[14] Europe and Australia on April 20, and in North America on September 3.[11] It was re-released again for the Wii U's Virtual Console in North America on August 28, 2014, in Europe on January 22, 2015, and in Japan on April 15.[11][15]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings32%[16]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame3/5[3]
GameSpot3.0/10[5]
IGN3/10

Donkey Kong Jr. Math was met with negative reviews from the press.[17][16] Despite this negative reception, the magazine Joystick felt Nintendo was worthy of praise for its attempt at making an educational game.[18] The game was also a commercial failure, with a Nintendo spokesperson noting its lack of success as being due to poor reception.[10] Donkey Kong Jr. Math performed better in Japan but was forgotten in the United States.[19] Its poor sales contributed to it becoming a rare and expensive collector's item.[8]

Jeremy Parish of Polygon called it the worst Donkey Kong video game, suggesting that it was a "half-finished game" to have a larger launch lineup on the Famicom.[8] He was also critical of the reuse of assets from Donkey Kong Jr., while Skyler Miller of AllGame found this reuse creative.[8][3] Bob Mackey of 1UP.com called Donkey Kong Jr. Math the worst NES launch window title, criticizing it for its lack of value and sluggish movement.[20] The game had a poor reception from IGN, with Lucas M. Thomas finding its controls and execution poor,[4] while Cam Shea regarded it as one of the worst Virtual Console games and criticized it for a lack of value.[7][21] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer similarly could not justify the asking price for the Virtual Console version.[22] Frank Provo of GameSpot felt that its math problems were either too easy for young children or too boring for older ones.[5] Damien McFarren of Nintendo Life criticized the game for "shoehorning" education into this game and for poor controls.[11] Author Jeff Ryan referred to the game as a "dud". While noting that it "reinforced math fundamentals", he called the gameplay "fun" but "challenging".[23]

Donkey Kong Jr. Math has received criticism for its qualities as an educational game. Elizabeth Sweedyk, associate computer science professor at Harvey Mudd College, felt that Donkey Kong Jr. Math was too realistic an educational game to be fun.[24] Kevin Gifford of 1UP.com felt that it lacks appeal for children, while Frank Caron for Ars Technica felt it inferior to other educational games like Brain Age and Math Blaster.[25][26]

Notes

References

  1. ↑ "Volume 5, Issue 4". July 1986. https://retrocdn.net/File:ComputerEntertainer_US_Vol.5_04.pdf. 
  2. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Miller, Skyler. "Donkey Kong Jr. Math - Overview". http://allgame.com/game.php?id=22152&tab=review. 
  3. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lucas M. Thomas (September 6, 2007). "Donkey Kong Jr. Math Review - Wii Review at IGN". http://wii.ign.com/articles/818/818013p1.html. 
  4. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Provo, Frank (September 3, 2007). "Donkey Kong Jr. Math Review for Wii". http://www.gamespot.com/wii/puzzle/donkeykongjrmath/review.html. 
  5. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Iwata, Satoru. "It All Begin in 1984". http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/nsmb/1/0. 
  6. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Shea, Cam (August 7, 2008). "The Worst Games on Virtual Console: Part 1 - Wii Feature at IGN". http://wii.ign.com/articles/897/897106p1.html. 
  7. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Parish, Jeremy (May 10, 2018). "The Definitive Ranking of Donkey Kong Games". https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/5/10/17333228/donkey-kong-rankings. 
  8. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (June 27, 2017). "What Does Star Fox 2's Resurrection Mean for Other Lost Games?". https://retronauts.com/article/416/what-does-star-fox-2s-resurrection-mean-for-other-lost-games. 
  9. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hunt, Dennis (July 27, 1990). "Nintendo: Kids Just Want to Have Fun". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-27-ca-805-story.html. 
  10. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 McFerran, Damien (April 20, 2007). "Donkey Kong Jr. Math Review (NES)". http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/vc/donkey_kong_jr_math_nes. 
  11. ↑ 12.0 12.1 NEWSCLUB Premium Goods プレミアム グッズ - プレミア付、ってだけで興味あるでしょ? : 金では売れん自慢の一品. Famicom Tsūshin. No.347. Pg.179. 11 August 1995.
  12. ↑ "Donkey Kong Jr. Math (GameCube Download) - Game Boy Advance - GameSpy". http://gba.gamespy.com/gameboy-advance/donkey-kong-jr-math-n-port/. 
  13. ↑ "VC ドンキーコングJR.の算数遊び" (in ja). Nintendo. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_dkm/. 
  14. ↑ "ドンキーコングJR.の算数遊び" (in ja). Nintendo. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_dkm/. 
  15. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Donkey Kong Jr. Math for Nes". June 24, 2013. http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/587235-donkey-kong-jr-math/index.html. 
  16. ↑ Benson, Roy Michael (December 2014). "Games Based Learning". http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/76586/1/WRAP_THESIS_Benson_2014.pdf. 
  17. ↑ "Donkey Kong Jr. Math Review". Joystick: 84. January 1989. 
  18. ↑ "From Video-Game Villain to SGI Spokesmodel". Video Games (70): 70. November 1994. 
  19. ↑ Bob Mackey. "The Most Explosively Awful Console Launch Titles from 1UP.com". http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3167419. 
  20. ↑ Shea, Cam (April 23, 2007). "Virtual Console AU Buyer's Guide - Part 4 - Wii Feature at IGN". http://wii.ign.com/articles/782/782613p1.html. 
  21. ↑ Dan Whitehead (June 2, 2007). "Virtual Console Roundup Wii Review - Page 3". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_vcroundup010607_wii?page=3. 
  22. ↑ Ryan, Jeff (2011). Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 84. ISBN 978-1101517635. https://books.google.com/books?id=1k-6ksl3uLsC. 
  23. ↑ David Epstein (October 26, 2005). "News: Joystick Nation - Inside Higher Ed". http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/10/26/games?no_mobile_redirect=true. 
  24. ↑ "Wrecking Crew (Famicom Mini 14) Review for from 1UP.com". http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3128754. 
  25. ↑ Caron, Frank (September 3, 2007). "Virtual Console Monday (9-03-07): A Labor Day Foursome". https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2007/09/virtual-console-monday-9-03-07-a-labor-day-foursome.ars. 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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