Gate by New Mexico State University Learning Games Lab

Shadows are corrupting the land. Players must restore the balance of nature by battling monsters to release the light within.

Gate teaches the mathematical concept of place value, crucial for understanding the large numbers and decimals that appear in 6th grade and beyond. Its dark fantasy landscape, with flying and lumbering monsters, draws players into the game even when the math gets challenging.

Graphical representations of place value, shown in a number wheel and number line alongside gameplay, help learners develop number sense. Gate was tested in a low-income, majority-Hispanic school district, and is available in both English and Spanish.

The highlights:

• * Gate gameplay wholly integrates the mathematical concept of place value: keystrokes used to battle monsters spatially map onto place values to the right and left of the decimal.
• * Gate draws students into their role as a hero seeking to return light to a shadowy world, with a storyline offered in either English or Spanish.
• * In 2013–2014 a randomized controlled study in a low-income urban school district showed that fifth graders (n = 741) learned more when classroom instruction included Gate and three other Math Snacks games than with just the regular curriculum.