Bubbly Primes

Prime numbers are regarded as the building blocks from which all other composite numbers can be broken down into. Recognising and learning prime numbers becomes useful for the topic of fractions in mathematics. Learning prime numbers and recognising the factors of composite numbers is an important ability and ‘Bubbly Primes’ has turned this into a fun game.

Colourful bubbles appear from the bottom of the screen slowly floating upwards. Each bubble has a number on it and if the number is a composite number, not a prime number, then if you tap the bubble it splits in two to show two possible factors. The objective of the game is to keep tapping on bubbles that have composite numbers and only let the prime numbered bubbles reach the very top of the screen.

For each correctly tapped bubble the player scores points but if a composite number reaches the top untapped then you will lose points. Once five non-prime numbers have crossed the upper line then your game comes to an end. The purpose of the app is for the player to learn the individual prime numbers. Although you lose points for tapping on prime numbers it is the best tactic for staying in the game, essentially this is promoting students to learn from your mistakes. As the game progresses the rate at which the bubbles appear from the bottom increase. You are forced to work faster to keep up with the pace and quickly identify the composite numbers.

Pausing the game leaves the screen frozen with the numbered bubbles remaining in position. This gives you the chance to plan your strategy when the gameplay gets too hectic when there are too many bubbles to focus on. As much as this might feel like cheating it is very necessary at times.

Throughout the game play little creatures, or ‘critters’, appear causing a bit of added commotion to the rising bubbles. They will randomly flick the bubbles away which will either help you or frustrate you. Soothing musical tunes by pianos and flutes attempt to bring a sense of concentration to the game.

Starting up the app will present you with the menu screen. This gives you access to high scores, settings for sound and additional information including instructions of how to play the game. The high scores are recorded but other than selecting one of the three critters as your icon there is unfortunately no way of personally identifying your previous achievements.

The comparison of this app to classic puzzle games such as ‘Bubble Bobble’ and ‘Tetris’ is quite apparent. Those games relied heavily on the challenging nature within some very simple ideas much like ‘Bubbly Primes’. However, their playability was matched by a sense of growing achievement or reward through extra levels or multiplier. In this app players may well grow uninterested because the sense of achievement or reward is lacking.

At the centre of ‘Bubbly Primes’ there is truly a fun element to learning but for the learning to continue there needs to be a wider scope to the gameplay.

You can download Bubbly Primes on your iOS devices from the Apple App Store.