Xbox…Playstation…Nintendo…TI84 Plus?
Aside from scientific notation, equation graphing and long division, your calculator can also serve as a video game system.
Junior Ben Hoover said a calculator can become a student’s best friend during those grueling, 50 minute long classes. Hoover said that a quick game on a calculator can be necessary to keep your sanity.
“I play in all of my boring classes,” Hoover said. “It is a great way to pass the time.”
Hoover said he started getting heavily into calculator games his sophomore year. He also explained that he has had intense battles of two-player Bomberman against his “arch nemesis,” senior Matt Cavallaro.
Hoover said that the point of the game is to clear a path through the field of rocks by laying bombs down next to them, with the ultimate goal being to eliminate the other player.
“We mostly link up in study hall,” Hoover said. “It is way too hard not to get caught by the teacher if you are trying to play twoplayer in a real class.”
Librarian Mike Nolan said that it is extremely obvious to distinguish between someone doing a math problem and someone playing games.
“The library has a strict ‘no gaming’ policy,” Nolan said. “Playing GameBoy on a calculator is not something we encourage.”
Nolan said that the library is a quiet environment that is for school uses only, and that time spent in the area should be spent doing something “constructive.”
Math teacher Melissa McCreary said she has no opposition to calculator games as long as they are not being played in her class.
“I personally think it is amazing that you can even do all of that on a calculator,” McCreary said.
McCreary also said that it is not a huge problem in her classes, but she is aware of the gaming that goes on.
“If a teacher has a really strong stance against the issue, I think it is his or her job to set an expectation, along with consequences for disobeying the rules,” McCreary said.
Freshman Ryan Solomon said he doesn’t worry much about getting caught.
“If the teacher sees me with it out, they just tell me to put it away,” Solomon said.
McCreary said that it would be impossible for her to take calculators away from her students because they are such great time savers and are extremely helpful when used for the operations they are designed to do Hoover said that there are ways to prevent getting caught using calculators for games.
“The key is to look like you’re doing calculations, or when you’re not in math class, hold it underneath the desk or behind a book,” Hoover said. “Works every time!”
Solomon said he plays Tetris on his calculator about once a day.
Hoover said he has significantly cut down on his playing time in order to get better grades.
“Now that I’m a junior, I am starting to take school more seriously,” Hoover said. “I need to focus on my grades and hopefully raise my GPA.”
Nolan said he notices it is almost always boys and often the “very bright students” that take part in the gaming.
Aside from the occasional underclassman, McCreary said that most of the time it is the older kids playing.
“It makes sense because they are the kids who need those calculators for math class, and they have been around long enough to know how to get the games,” she said.
Despite encouraging students to pay attention, McCreary said she was looking for some new updates.
“Send your games my way!” she said.
Published December 2007. Digitized 2025.
