(Part of The Plebian: April Fool’s Edition)
Starting the Fall 2021 semester, three games on the Cool Math Games platform will be included in competitive play for the Albion Esports team.
“It’s a platform that most teams are hesitant to approach because of its difficulty,” said the assistant coach of the Esports program, Brit Briton.
The games include Coolmath’s B-Cubed, a science fiction third-person strategy game similar to the Mass Effect series in which the player is immersed with realistic visuals and a heavy soundtrack; Bloxorz, a game similar to B-Cubed, but taking place in a post apocalyptic setting in which you must navigate through a gritty terrain to meet your end goal; and Lemonade Stand, a strategy game in which the player occupies a late-capitalist society and must gain as many resources before the time runs out and greed consumes them.
“These games occupy heavy themes, and they’re not for the faint of heart,” said Briton. “Players on the team are welcome to opt out, but I think this will open an opportunity for players who are looking to continue Esports after Albion.”
Video games have expanded to occupy a new space in media by providing life-like graphics and binge worthy stories. Cool Math Games is at the forefront of game companies looking to bridge the gap between traditional media and video games.
“The games are visually breathtaking,” said Hannah Cass, a sophomore on the Esports team from Nowhere, Okla. “I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take this on at the competitive level, but I think the training I will do between now and the fall will prepare me.”
Students on the team are excited to explore the new games and have their teammates support them. Some of the games have seen significant push back, though.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that people weren’t happy about these games,” said Cass. “Lemonade Stand has a pretty clear anti-capitalist message to the point that it was rumored to be a piece of Soviet propaganda, but I think it’s part of the fun.”
The addition of the new games has brought in new interested players as well.
“My school doesn’t let us play Cool Math Games in the media center anymore, so I decided to do this” said Timmy Smith, a third grader from Harrison Elementary who recently joined the Albion Esports team. “It’s really cool that I get to play games at the big kids’ school.”
Other games up for consideration to be added to the game roster include Poptropica, Webkinz and Club Penguin.
“We’re okay with pushing the envelope, but we also don’t want to push it too far,” said Briton. “We’re going to launch these first three titles from Cool Math and we’ll see what happens from there.”
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