Cool Math Games: Difference between revisions

Cool Math Games
	Screenshot A screenshot of www.coolmathgames.com on September 5, 2020.
Type of site	Online browser game portal
Available in	English
Headquarters	New York City, U.S.
Area served	Worldwide
Industry	Education
Parent	Coolmath.com, LLC
URL	coolmathgames.com
Advertising	Google Ads (with ad-free subscription available)
Launched	1997; 27 years ago
Written in	PHP, HTML and Adobe Flash

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Revision as of 21:28, 21 June 2024

Cool Math Games (branded as Coolmath Games)^[a] is an online web portal that hosts HTML and Flash web browser games targeted at children and young adults. Cool Math Games is operated by Coolmath LLC and first went online in 1997 with the slogan: "Where logic & thinking meets fun & games.".^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] The site maintains a policy that it will only host games that the operators believe are non-violent and educational and is partnered with coolmath.com and coolmath4kids.com.^[4]^[2]

In November 2019, Popular Mechanics listed Cool Math Games as one of its "50 most important websites" since the internet was created.^[6]

In September 2022, Coolmath Coding^[7] was launched to teach kids how to code in Roblox and Minecraft.

History

Shutdown hoax

Rumors began spreading in mid-2019 that Cool Math Games was to shut down in 2020 due to the discontinuation of Adobe Flash Player. In light of these rumors, a petition was created on Change.org to stop it from shutting down and gained 100,000 signatures.^[4]^[8]^[5]^[9] However, Cool Math Games confirmed that it would not be shutting down and was focusing on getting new HTML5 games and converting old Flash games to HTML5 after Adobe Flash reached its end-of-life in 2020.^[5]^[4] The website opted to use emulation technologies like Ruffle to continue using and viewing legacy flash content.^[10]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cool Math Games' popularity has increased, being played by students whilst in lockdown and self-isolating.^[11]^[12] Cool Math Games' Alexa ranking went up drastically.^[13]

Reception

Coolmath Games has received generally positive reception. The Daily Dot called the website's library of content "impressive" in a run-down of the best games on the site.^[14]

References

^ "Coolmathgames.com WHOIS lookup". who.is. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
^ ^a ^b "About Us". Coolmath Games. Archived from the original on 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
^ "Freudenthal Instituut". Universiteit Utrecht (in Dutch). 2014-07-09. Archived from the original on 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Harbison, Cammy (2019-06-03). "No, Cool Math Games Isn't Shutting Down: Company Confirms Adobe Flash 2020 Shutdown Won't Kill The Site". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c Haasch, Palmer (2019-06-05). "Despite rumors, Cool Math Games is not shutting down in 2020". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
^ "The Sites That Mean the Most to Us". Popular Mechanics. 1 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
^ Co, Sandbox & (2022-09-20). "Sandbox Launches Coolmath Coding to Teach Kids How to Code". GlobeNewswire News Room. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
^ Jenkins, Abby (June 6, 2020). "Cool Math Games' shut down is a hoax". Arrow. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
^ Smith, Callum (2019-06-05). "Is Cool Math Games shutting down in 2020? Everything you need to know". HITC. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
^ "Coolmath Games and Flash". www.coolmathgames.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
^ "School Support March: Enriching Our Children's Minds Amidst Social Distancing". Port Washington News. 2020-03-21. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
^ Jackson, Wilton. "Virtual Senior Night: Celebrating spring sports athletes in Rankin County". The Clarion-Ledger. Archived from the original on 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
^ "coolmathgames.com Competitive Analysis, Marketing Mix and Traffic". Alexa Internet. Archived from the original on 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
^ Maria, Anna (June 10, 2020). "The 5 best Cool Math Games for kids to play in 2020". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.

Footnotes

^ The name spelling is often alternated between, though this is the name used on company documents.

External links

Official website

[whois-1] "Coolmathgames.com WHOIS lookup". who.is. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2020-09-05.

[about-3] "About Us". Coolmath Games. Archived from the original on 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-09-13.

[4] "Freudenthal Instituut". Universiteit Utrecht (in Dutch). 2014-07-09. Archived from the original on 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2019-09-13.

[:0-5] Harbison, Cammy (2019-06-03). "No, Cool Math Games Isn't Shutting Down: Company Confirms Adobe Flash 2020 Shutdown Won't Kill The Site". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2019-09-13.

[:1-6] Haasch, Palmer (2019-06-05). "Despite rumors, Cool Math Games is not shutting down in 2020". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2019-10-06.

[7] "The Sites That Mean the Most to Us". Popular Mechanics. 1 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2019.

[8] Co, Sandbox & (2022-09-20). "Sandbox Launches Coolmath Coding to Teach Kids How to Code". GlobeNewswire News Room. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-09-20.

[9] Jenkins, Abby (June 6, 2020). "Cool Math Games' shut down is a hoax". Arrow. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-06.

[10] Smith, Callum (2019-06-05). "Is Cool Math Games shutting down in 2020? Everything you need to know". HITC. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-06.

[11] "Coolmath Games and Flash". www.coolmathgames.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved 2022-06-08.

[12] "School Support March: Enriching Our Children's Minds Amidst Social Distancing". Port Washington News. 2020-03-21. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2020-09-05.

[13] Jackson, Wilton. "Virtual Senior Night: Celebrating spring sports athletes in Rankin County". The Clarion-Ledger. Archived from the original on 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2020-09-05.

[alexa-14] "coolmathgames.com Competitive Analysis, Marketing Mix and Traffic". Alexa Internet. Archived from the original on 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2020-09-05.

[15] Maria, Anna (June 10, 2020). "The 5 best Cool Math Games for kids to play in 2020". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.

[2] The name spelling is often alternated between, though this is the name used on company documents.

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@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 '''Cool Math Games''' (branded as '''Coolmath Games'''){{efn|The name spelling is often alternated between, though this is the name used on company documents.}} is an online [[web portal]] that hosts [[HTML]] and [[Adobe Flash|Flash]] web [[browser game]]s targeted at children and young adults. Cool Math Games is operated by Coolmath LLC and first went online in 1997 with the slogan: "Where logic & thinking meets fun & games.".<ref name="about">{{Cite web|url=https://www.coolmathgames.com/about-us|title=About Us|website=Coolmath Games|access-date=2019-09-13|archive-date=2019-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913203730/https://www.coolmathgames.com/about-us|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uu.nl/onderzoek/freudenthal-instituut|title=Freudenthal Instituut|date=2014-07-09|website=Universiteit Utrecht|language=nl|access-date=2019-09-13|archive-date=2019-11-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114224119/https://www.uu.nl/onderzoek/freudenthal-instituut|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Harbison |first=Cammy |date=2019-06-03 |title=No, Cool Math Games Isn't Shutting Down: Company Confirms Adobe Flash 2020 Shutdown Won't Kill The Site |url=https://www.newsweek.com/cool-math-games-shutting-down-players-fear-adobe-flash-2020-shutdown-will-end-favorite-1441919 |access-date=2019-09-13 |website=Newsweek |language=en |archive-date=2021-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104104315/https://www.newsweek.com/cool-math-games-shutting-down-players-fear-adobe-flash-2020-shutdown-will-end-favorite-1441919 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/5/18653689/coolmath-games-shutting-down-hoax-rumor|title=Despite rumors, Cool Math Games is not shutting down in 2020|last=Haasch|first=Palmer|date=2019-06-05|website=Polygon|language=en|access-date=2019-10-06|archive-date=2019-09-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905215340/https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/5/18653689/coolmath-games-shutting-down-hoax-rumor|url-status=live}}</ref> The site maintains a policy that it will only host games that the operators believe are [[non-violent]] and [[education]]al and is partnered with '''coolmath.com''' and '''coolmath4kids.com'''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="about" />
-Coolmath Games continues to be a widely recognized platform for educational and recreational math games. Its impact on math education and its ability to make learning fun has contributed to its enduring legacy.
 In November 2019, ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' listed Cool Math Games as one of its "50 most important websites" since the internet was created.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/web/a29666144/favorite-websites/|website=[[Popular Mechanics]]|date=1 November 2019|access-date=22 November 2019|title=The Sites That Mean the Most to Us|archive-date=12 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212003651/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/web/a29666144/favorite-websites/|url-status=live}}</ref>
@@ Line 31: / Line 29: @@
 ==History==
-Coolmath.com was created by Karen Lyn Davis, also referred to as Coolmath Karen<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Cool Math Games at Coolmath.com |url=https://www.coolmath.com/aboutus |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=www.coolmath.com}}</ref>, a schoolteacher who was looking for a fun and interactive way to engage students. Soon after its release, Coolmath4parents.com and Coolmath4teachers.com were created to help out parents and teachers, respectively. Shortly after, the Coolmath Games site was launched, meant to focus on the gaming aspect of the Coolmath brand. All of these sites were launched in 1997.
 ===Shutdown hoax===
 Rumors began spreading in mid-2019 that Cool Math Games was to shut down in 2020 due to the discontinuation of [[Adobe Flash Player]]. In light of these rumors, a petition was created on [[Change.org]] to stop it from shutting down and gained 100,000 signatures.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Abby |date=June 6, 2020 |title=Cool Math Games' shut down is a hoax |url=https://uhsarrow.org/15577/news/cool-math-games-to-shut-down/ |access-date=2019-10-06 |website=Arrow |archive-date=2019-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006143906/https://uhsarrow.org/15577/news/cool-math-games-to-shut-down/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/06/05/cool-math-games-shutting-down-2020-everything-you-need-to-know/|title=Is Cool Math Games shutting down in 2020? Everything you need to know|last=Smith|first=Callum|date=2019-06-05|website=HITC|language=en|access-date=2019-10-06|archive-date=2019-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006143903/https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/06/05/cool-math-games-shutting-down-2020-everything-you-need-to-know/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, Cool Math Games confirmed that it would not be shutting down and was focusing on getting new HTML5 games and converting old Flash games to HTML5 after [[Adobe Flash]] reached its [[End-of-life product|end-of-life]] in 2020.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> The website opted to use [[Emulator|emulation]] technologies like [[Ruffle (software)|Ruffle]] to continue using and viewing legacy flash content.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coolmath Games and Flash |url=https://www.coolmathgames.com/coolmath-games-and-flash |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223203931/https://www.coolmathgames.com/coolmath-games-and-flash |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=www.coolmathgames.com |language=en}}</ref>
-=== Flash Game Emulators ===
-Coolmath Games had started publishing HTML-based games since 2014, which would be unaffected by the discontinuation of Adobe Flash Player. Because of this, Coolmath Games was able to keep a majority of games on the site.
-Many of the games that were previously running on Adobe Flash Player have been brought back using Flash Emulators. The two most common emulators on the site have been AwayFl<ref>{{Cite web |title=AwayFL – Bringing Back Games Using A Flash Emulator |url=https://www.coolmathgames.com/blog/using-flash-emulator-to-bring-back-games |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=www.coolmathgames.com |language=en}}</ref>and [[Ruffle (software)|Ruffle]]. A few notable games that have been brought back using these emulators include Jacksmith, Papa’s Pizzeria, and Learn to Fly.
-=== Coolmath Game ARGs & Limited Time Events ===
-There have been two ARGs (alternate reality games) released by Coolmath Games. The first was the Halloween ARG released on October 25th, 2023. The game, titled 20xx_@3!1#3@2#2!1#3_v4.zip<ref>{{Cite web |title=20xx_@3!1#3@2#2!1#3_v4.zip - Play it Online at Coolmath Games |url=https://www.coolmathgames.com/0-20xx3132213v4zip |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=www.coolmathgames.com |language=en}}</ref>, was a Hangman-themed game with a spooky twist. Players were able to find the words by decoding hints scattered throughout the Coolmath Games Instagram and game page.
-This popular ARG caught the attention of several popular YouTube pages, including the popular Game Theory<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JZeI9SF0lI |title=Game Theory: The Cool Math Games ARG Goes To Some Dark Places... |date=2023-12-02 |last=The Game Theorists |access-date=2024-06-21 |via=YouTube}}</ref> channel hosted by [[MatPat]].
-The second ARG<ref>{{Cite web |title=OFFICIAL RULES - Play it Online at Coolmath Games |url=https://www.coolmathgames.com/easter-egg-hunt-2024/rules |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=www.coolmathgames.com |language=en}}</ref> was an egg hunt that was released in April of 2024 in celebration of Easter. There were 12 eggs scattered throughout the website’s pages that players had to find in order to uncover the secret message. Once players uncovered the secret message, they could send an email to the cryptic code in order to enter the Coolmath raffle for free merch.
 ===Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic===
@@ Line 53: / Line 37: @@
 ==Reception==
 Coolmath Games has received generally positive reception. ''[[The Daily Dot]]'' called the website's library of content "impressive" in a run-down of the best games on the site.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/cool-math-games/|title=The 5 best Cool Math Games for kids to play in 2020|website=The Daily Dot|last1=Maria|first1=Anna|date=June 10, 2020|access-date=July 6, 2020|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030081823/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/cool-math-games/|url-status=live}}</ref>
-== Legacy ==
-Over time, Coolmath Games has developed a prominent role on social media, with hundreds of thousands of followers on both Instagram and TikTok. The page tends to be a mix of popular culture memes and inside jokes related to the games published on Coolmath Games.
-Some of the most iconic games that Coolmath Games has been associated with are Fireboy & Wategirl, the Run Series, and the Papa’s Games. The characters from these games are often used in the Coolmath Games social media as part of their posts.
 ==See also==