At times, being at school can be boring. There is simply nothing to do when you’re done with your homework or avoiding it. In my defense, I have to find some way to keep myself entertained. Cool Math games.com has managed to keep me entertained since elementary school, at least they’re doing something right. 

According to the National Institute of Health, scientists at the University of Vermont discovered “Functional MRI brain imaging analyses found that children who played video games for three or more hours per day showed higher brain activity in regions of the brain associated with attention and memory than did those who never played.” This study was focusing on nearly 2,000 children, between the ages of 9 and 10. It would’ve been useful if they specifically said which games were being played or included footage. Nevertheless, researchers concluded video games foster impulse control, and better memories because they are so cognitively demanding. However, we won’t truly know the effect until these children get old enough to skip for themselves. I don’t think playing video games will drastically improve your cognitive skills nor will it prevent memory loss. However, I need it, or else I’ll die of boredom. 

My favorite game is 2048. It’s a number puzzle game that requires players to combine tiles with the same number to reach the ultimate goal of creating a tile with a value of 2048. This game is to improve cognitive skills: in problem-solving, strategic thinking, and memory. While it might seem like you’re just moving the tiles irrationally, after a while you’re forced to start thinking ahead. If you want to win anyways, you have to make sure your tiles don’t end up stuck. It does also incorporate randomness because the new tile is added, when you slide, could be a 4 or a 2. Therefore, it requires you to get used to thinking quickly to adhere to the tiles you have. Losing literally only requires one wrong move. I prefer not to feel confident at any time because failure could be the next time I press a key. Additionally, sometimes you just forget about the tiles on the board and end up with too many. 

Additionally, I found a 2048 Lana del Rey version that uses her albums. The number tiles are replaced with Lana Del Rey album covers. The goal is now to get to the newest album instead of the largest number. It’s okay, but I prefer the numbers. 

Snake has been around since the 1970s as a classic arcade game; but, now it’s on Cool Math. It is a very simple game: the snake eats the apple and grows. As it grows it gets harder to move around which means you have to think ahead and be precise with your moves. Last year, when I had no teacher for World History and a lot of time on my hands, I would spend most of that class period playing Snake. It follows the classic grid layout, so it’s best to imagine the lines of the grid. It helps to make precise turns. 

The only annoying problem about it is that when I Google it, a snake on Google Maps pops up first. The idea seems innovative as the apples are replaced with people and the snake is now a train. Yet, the execution is lacking because of how slow the website is. 

Finally, my third favorite game to play in class is Papa’s Freezeria. This is mostly because of nostalgia. In elementary school, I remember going to the computer lab and having to hide that I was playing Cool Math. It helps you get prepared for real life as most people at some point work in the service industry. The game has been called propaganda. Oh well, it is pretty fun to play.  Yes, I clock in during ELT and cater to some dumb customers for $2 tips. It’s fun clicking the topics and making their “frozen concoctions.”  When you’re restricted to a chair, you sometimes have to get your mental stimulation from random computer games. It’s wonderful.