Software:Math Blaster!

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Short description: 1983 video game
This page is about the first video game titled Math Blaster. For the series, see Blaster Learning System.
Math Blaster!
Apple II cover art
Developer(s)Davidson & Associates
Publisher(s)Davidson & Associates
Designer(s)Janice G. Davidson
Richard K Eckert Jr.[1]
Platform(s)Original
Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, IBM PC
Plus
Apple II, MS-DOS, Apple IIGS, Amiga
New Plus
MS-DOS, Windows
Release1983 (Original)
1987 (Plus)
1990 (New Plus)
Genre(s)Educational
Mode(s)Single-player

Math Blaster! is a 1983 educational video game, and the first entry in the "Math Blaster" series within the Blaster Learning System created by Davidson & Associates. The game was developed by former educator Jan Davidson.[2] It would be revised and ported to newer hardware and operating systems, with enhanced versions rebranded as Math Blaster Plus! (1987), followed by New Math Blaster Plus! (1990). A full redesign was done in 1993 as Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot and again in 1996 as Mega Math Blaster.

The game spawned other Math Blaster titles including Math Blaster Jr. and Software:Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery, as well as math-related spin-offs like Alge Blaster and Geometry Blaster, and forays into other subjects like Reading Blaster, Word Blaster, Spelling Blaster, and Science Blaster Jr.

Gameplay

An arcade-style educational game that offers skill-building mathematical exercises, the title contains minigames that test players' knowledge in subjects such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, percentages, and decimals. A series of mathematics problems appear on the screen, and the player must move to fire the cannon pointing at the correct answer. The game included an editor for teachers and parents to design their own problems.

While this title was purely a drill and practice, its 1987 sequel would wrap the activity around a narrative.[3]

Educational goals

Math Blaster was designed to aid students to master first-to-sixth-grade mathematics in an exciting and interesting manner. The learning activities were advertised as graphically appealing and promised to motivate and challenge students.[1]

Reception

After it was developed, Math Blaster! was extensively tested in classrooms.[1] By November 2, 1985, the game had sustained 92 weeks on the Billboard charts for Top Education Computing Software, and was placed at #2. The game, plus its various sequels and spin-offs, has since become the best-selling piece of math software in history.[4]

InfoWorld praised the game for its high resolution graphics, and considered it a standout title in the drill-and-practice edutainment video game genre, and deemed it a perfect teacher's aid for primary school classroom use.[5]

New Math Blaster Plus was reviewed in the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book where it was praised for its "arcade-quality graphics [making] drills snappy and entertaining".[6]

The game inspired a series of math problem-solving games that would become a popular series in the marketplace.[7] Along with Reader Rabbit and The Oregon Trail, the game is considered a classic.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Math Blaster! Educational Software that Works". https://www.giantbomb.com/images/1300-2247553. Retrieved June 26, 2017. 
  2. ↑ Ito, Mizuko (2012-02-10) (in en). Engineering Play: A Cultural History of Children's Software. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-29155-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=iVRN2dzy_zUC&q=%22math+blaster%22+%221983%22+OR+%221984%22+OR+%221985%22&pg=PA36. 
  3. ↑ Becker, Katrin (2016-10-04) (in en). Choosing and Using Digital Games in the Classroom: A Practical Guide. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-12223-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ge8qDQAAQBAJ&q=%22math+blaster%21%22&pg=PA193. 
  4. ↑ Ito, Mizuko (2012-02-10) (in en). Engineering Play: A Cultural History of Children's Software. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-29155-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=iVRN2dzy_zUC&q=%22math+blaster%22+%221983%22+OR+%221984%22+OR+%221985%22&pg=PA36. 
  5. ↑ (in en) InfoWorld. InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.. 1983-07-11. https://books.google.com/books?id=wi8EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22math+blaster%21%22&pg=PA55. 
  6. ↑ Oppenheim, Joanne and Stephanie (1993). The Best Toys, Books & Videos for Kids. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book. 1 (1st ed.). New York: Harper Perennial. p. 275. ISBN 0-06-273196-3. 
  7. ↑ Provenzo, Eugene F. Jr.; Brett, Arlene; McCloskey, Gary N. (2004-09-22) (in en). Computers, Curriculum, and Cultural Change: An Introduction for Teachers. Routledge. ISBN 1-135-62708-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=YnNUQCKGOOAC&q=%22math+blaster%21%22&pg=PA96. 
  8. ↑ Ito, Mizuko (2012-02-10) (in en). Engineering Play: A Cultural History of Children's Software. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-29155-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=iVRN2dzy_zUC&q=%22math+blaster%22+%221983%22+OR+%221984%22+OR+%221985%22&pg=PA36. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

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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