Case study :: Flash Games : Animal Seesaw Date :: september 2005 Project name :: count on website

About Animal Seesaw

Click here to play Animal Seesaw

About Count On

Count On is the continuation of the United Kingdom's year of Mathematics - Maths Year 2000. It is a Department for Education project with a remit to "bring maths to all" - and one of the major vehicles for this is the web site.

Gameplay

The game set is a jungle. The main character is an elephant holding a log which functions as a See-saw. Players have at their disposal a range of jungle animals populating the game. There are 24 animals in total. The set is also provided with a scale to check the weight of animals.

The game provides the players with the ability to weight the animals on a scale and to put them in turn on their side of the see-saw.

Players aim to get as heavy a weight as possible on their side of the log without tipping it up. The difference between the animals putted on the log from time to time must never be more than 5 kg. If a player makes the see-saw tipping up he loses the game.
If both the players keep the balance using all 24 animals the heaviest score wins.

Maths skill involved

• Estimating and measuring weight
• Reading a scale
• Mental calculations

How to play

Each player clicks on the scale to get an animal on his patch (randomly selected by computer).

The scale reads the weight, which is then confirmed in a balloon.

The player with the lightest animal starts the game.
Each player collects three animals before the game begins.
When an animal is collected, it walks towards player’s patch.

Player 1 puts an animal under 5kg in the left side of the log
Player 2 puts his animal on the other side but it must not make a difference of more or less than 5 kg.

Once an animal is played, another is added to the patch so that there is always a choice of three, until all the animals have been used.

The scale can be used at any time to check the weight by “drag and drop”
The score is kept in the boxes above.
If you go over the 5 kg difference the log tips up and you lose.

When neither player can go without tipping the log or when all 24 animals have been played, the player who has the most weight in his side wins.

Play Animal Seesaw

Technologies used

Web Design:

• Macromedia Flash

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