Do you remember how the equation represents the reaction that forms hydrochloric acid?
If your answer wasn’t an immediate “Cl2 + H2 = 2HCl”, you are not alone. Chemistry is not an easy subject to master, especially with its interdisciplinary nature where it also requires a working knowledge of math and physics among other subjects. Above that, chemistry seems to have a language of its own, always talking in terms of atoms and molecules.
But there are easy and even fun ways to master this tough subject. This blog highlights various games that will take you from the basics of chemistry to advanced-level problems, all while you’re engaged in playing an exciting game.
Solving the mystery of chemistry with online games
Games can be an excellent method of learning and teaching. Especially for subjects as tough as chemistry, games can be a lifesaver. Here is a list of games that will help you master this art called chemistry:
1. Little Alchemy
Do you know how the four basic elements combine to make all the different elements we see on earth every day? If yes, then prove it by finding all 560 elements in this game.
The player will be provided with the four basic elements, namely, water, fire, air, and earth. They will have to use their mouse to make various combinations among different or the same elements to find out newer, more complex elements of the earth. For example, mix the basic element of water with fire to discover steam.
This game allows the individual to explore around and find out different elements and processes that went or still go behind the creation of different things we see and might even use every day in our lives. The individual, if stuck, can even ask for hints, and making the wrong combinations does not get them any penalties. This is a purely discovery-based, educational game to satiate the curious minds of chemistry learners.
2. Doodle God
Yet another game that lets you play around with elements to create everything on earth, use it to your advantage to pass the challenges and ultimately, become a god.
Doodle God throws several puzzles and challenges at the player that the player has to overcome by making different things they need to surpass the challenge. For example, making a mountain to direct the flow of a river. In this game as well, the player is given the four basic elements of fire, air, water, and earth to begin with. It’s on them to get creative and combine different elements together to get the thing you need to solve this puzzle.
This game lets the player become a god for the day, playing the role of creating everything on earth all while understanding how it was made in the first place and what purpose it serves to date.
3. Periodic Table Puzzle
The periodic table is the most basic yet most confusing part of studying chemistry. In this game, you have to complete the periodic table by placing the elements in their correct place.
Periodic Table Puzzle shows the player the marking letters, atomic number, and a picture of how the element is used. The player is then tasked with correctly placing the 73 natural elements in the place where they belong on the metric table.
This interactive game helps in familiarising and memorizing various elements on the periodic table, their atomic number, their name, and how they are put to use. After playing the game, the individual can accurately answer various questions like groups colors for various elements, what a particular element looks like, where it is used, what is, let’s say, the 15th chemical element, and so on.
4. Chemistry Tree
From elementary knowledge of what encompasses the study of chemistry to advanced knowledge of what comes under different concepts and their principles, this game has it all.
The goal of the player will be to complete the chemistry tree accurately by placing various icons of key topics and concepts in the tree. This simple yet vast chemistry game covers 18 wide range of topics.
Through this game, the students will learn various topics like different states of matter, basic chemical units, how the ions change when moving electrons, etc.
5. Hazard pictograms
Working in a chemistry lab might seem fun but it also comes with its own set of risks and challenges. Chemicals can be extremely dangerous to carry and mixing two seemingly harmless compounds can cause an unprecedented reaction. This is why, whenever entering a chemistry lab, safety is of the utmost importance.
This game familiarizes the players with various hazard signs and their meanings. Comprising of multiple choice questions, questions that require you to type in the answer and answer questions about various symbols from memory, this game prepares the individual to safely navigate and handle any and all materials in a chemistry lab.
Knowledge of different hazard symbols and what they represent is essential for working in a chemistry lab. This game with its informative layouts and interactive elements ensures that the individual is well-equipped with this knowledge by the end of all the levels.
6. Bugs on the Run
Atoms and molecules make up everything around us, including us. They might not be visible to the naked eye but their activity has repercussions on our daily tasks and activities.
This game builds on that very principle where the goal of the player is to control the movement of the molecules in the piston to feed the hungry chameleon by getting the running bugs to the chameleon’s mouth.
This game will help the player understand that molecules move faster when heated and slower when cooled down. This is the principle behind how water turns into has when heated and ice when cooled.
7. Balancing chemical equations
How many nitrogen and oxygen molecules will be required to make nitrous oxide? If you have trouble answering this question because making an equation in your mind to remember how these elements are naturally found and then balancing it seems like too much work, this game is for you.
The player in this game is given various elements and a pictorial representation of how they are naturally found. They have to select the appropriate quantity of each element that will balance the equation and make the required element by mixing. Every time the player selects the appropriate amount of both elements that perfectly balance the equation and cause the appropriate chemical reaction, the player wins a point.
Since this game pictorially represents all the elements, the basic ones used in the reaction and the ones created after the reaction, it will help the students in retaining how they naturally occur. This will also help them in solving textbook or exam questions that require them to fill in the gaps or write the entire equation from scratch.
8. Outer Space Molecule Chase
The player has to help Linus, a genetically modified rat, to escape the space station and reach an asteroid in order to save the world.
In this game, the player has to use the molecular replicator given to the hero, Linus, to create common substances that will help him overcome the obstacles, solve the puzzles and eventually save the world.
This game will provide an understanding of atoms, and molecules and how they bond to form different substances to the player. It will also help them remember simple molecular compositions like H2O in the case of water, etc., and how to use this H2O to do various stuff like put out fires.
9. The Periodic Table
Learning about the elements that make up the world but aren’t always visible or obvious to the naked eye can seem like a tedious task. But this game makes it fun with its descriptive imagery and interactive elements.
The player will be randomly shown either an element or its name. The task of the player is to choose the correct element picture when the name is shown and type in the name when the picture is shown. Helpful hint: the spelling of the element’s name does matter. To further help the player, the game also tutorials that the player can take up at any time.
This game will help individuals in using their knowledge about the elements to correctly guess the name, and learn how to spell them as well as what they look like.
10. Creative Crosswords
Crosswords are a fun way to learn new facts about various things and test your knowledge to finish a satisfying puzzle.
Creative chemistry contains crosswords on various topics for you to test, revise and increase your knowledge. These crosswords can either be played online or can be printed for a fun and informative time later.
This game covers topics ranging from acids, alkalis, and metals, chemical families, chemistry apparatus, fossil fuels, hard rocks, organic chemistry, takes of reaction, round table, and the Haber process. It is a pretty extensive and well-rounded chemistry game designed to make chemistry fun and exciting for students.
Conclusion
Chemistry can be a hard subject to master but with the help of online games that use appealing interfaces, interactive elements, and colorful dissemination of information, it can seem as easy as playing ping pong.
Some tools like manipulatives, activities and free online games that can help students in learning chemistry include Little Alchemy, Doodle God, States of Matter, Animal Cell Game, Outer space molecule chase, Balancing Chemical Equations, Bugs on the Run, Hazard Pictograms, Chemistry tree, and Periodic Table Puzzles. Furthermore, these games can also be beneficial for kids who have learning disabilities like dyscalculia, as they can make the learning process easier for them too.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,