How to enhance interest in mathematics by using game-based learning

Mathematics is a subject taught in school from very early on, but nonetheless, many students still find it difficult and frustrating to learn, even in higher education (Berggren, 2018). This frustration may lead the students to think that they are not smart enough which may cause a lack of interest in the subject. The hypothesis that students lack interest in mathematics has been tested by collecting and analyzing data about the students’ attitude towards mathematics. Yet, according to Jo Boaler, every student should be able to learn math because “our brains have [an] enormous capacity to grow and change at any stage of life” (Duval, 2019), and this has been the main inspiration in the development of the game. The focus of this project has its emphasis on how to enhance the interest of learning mathematics for students in elementary school, more specifically fifth and sixth grade students. The final prototype is a video game, where the player is situated in a virtual house environment which resembles everyday situations that the students may encounter in their life. The core mechanic of the game is to solve puzzles disguised as normal house chores like “feeding the dog”. To move through the virtual house, the students must solve the puzzles by using mathematical thinking, thus getting a greater understanding of an application of mathematics in an environment well-known to them. The goal of this project Is to create a game that will introduce mathematical problems through game-based learning, in a manner that creates interest and sparks joy for the subject.