Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Greg Howson

Anyone for maths?

Remember when games were glorious escapist entertainment? Following on from Brain Training and, the rather pointless, Sight Training, Nintendo are launching Math Training. No, really. The snappily titled Professor Kageyama's Math Training: The Hundred Cell Calculation Method is released on the 8th February and apparently provides a series of "fun, simple and straightforward maths problems for users to puzzle over". Players get to level up and earn medals if they complete daily challenges. Slightly more exciting is the opportunity to take part in wireless multiplayer against friends in a "Division Marathon". Not exactly Mario Kart then. But you know what? Thanks to Nintendo the gaming rules have changed. Their self improvement titles on the DS have banished the tacky memories of edutainment. Three years ago the very concept of a "Math Training" game would have been laughed out of town. Now it will probably follow Brain Training and sit in the top 10 for the rest of the year. Or is maths a "training" game too far?

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Philadelphia was once a sweet spot for chocolatiers and other candymakers who made iconic treats for Valentine’s Day and other holidays
Many of America’s iconic holiday candies have Philadelphia or Pennsylvania roots – like Peeps on Easter, Reese’s peanut butter cups on Halloween, and a good, old-fashioned Whitman’s Sampler box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day.
The Conversation
The Conversation
A 'Goldilocks' Effect for Online Teens? Moderate Social Media Users Fare Better Than Abstainers or Heavy Users
“Both abstinence and excessive use can be problematic,” researchers suggest.
Reason
Reason
Cardi B and Stefon Diggs spark split speculation after unfollowing each other on Instagram
Rapper Cardi B and NFL star Stefon Diggs have sparked split speculation after unfollowing one another on Instagram, just hours after he took part in the Super Bowl last weekend.
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
Today is Red Tuesday – the day you’re most likely to be dumped. Here’s why
LET’S UNPACK THAT: It sounds brutal, but just a few days away from Valentine’s Day is when your relationship is most likely to end. Olivia Petter looks at how dating apps are encouraging a callous approach to romance
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Discord assumes everyone is a teen as global age verification rolls out — Are you OK with handing sensitive data over to a company involved in a huge 2025 leak?
Discord has announced an early-March rollout for its new "Teen-by-Default" stance, which requires all users around the world to prove their age using facial scans or ID checks.
Windows Central
Windows Central
“We honestly thought that it couldn’t harm us. How wrong we were.” One of the biggest albums of the 1970s would have carried a 'thank you' credit for the band's drug dealer if he hadn't been murdered before the record was released
"If there was a rule book, nobody gave me one"
Louder
Louder
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play