The mobile app Pokémon Go gained worldwide popularity with gamers after its release in 2016, and now a University of Iowa instructor is using it to teach students math.
Course instructor Kitrick Fynaardt, who’s been teaching the class for a year now, says there are dozens of opportunities to apply math to the game, according to ABC News affiliate KCRG-TV.
So, where does math come into play?
“So Pokémon have an attack stat, a defense stat, they have a, you know, hit points, and where those numbers actually come from, the calculation to do that and how much actual work it takes to sort of go find the stats and how they interact,” Fynaardt explains. “A lot of students don’t even know that, even if they’ve been playing the game for years.”
He adds that students who have taken the class have even expanded their interests in math.
The class is offered in the spring semester and currently has a waiting list for entry.