Games go far beyond technology and programming

Games, innovation, technology, culture and diversity were the topics covered on Friday afternoon (6) at the National Mathematics Festival (FestMat). The lectures covered the history and evolution of games, from the most traditional to electronic. They also dealt with the relationship between games and technology, the teaching of mathematics and life in society.

Marcelo Vasconcellos, a researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), gave the talk “Games, Culture and Participation”, which presented the history of games, from the oldest to the digital ones of the 21st century.

Among the curiosities, Vasconcellos showed Senet (a board game from Ancient Egypt). And he showed that, in many cases, pastimes existed even before writing. “Today’s games are the younger siblings of a much older family,” said Vasconcellos.

The researcher also drew attention to an aspect that is often overlooked when it comes to games: culture. Vasconcellos pointed out that the rules of games can help to codify socio-cultural aspects, understand the “mathematics of inequality” and how society works. “Games are an expression, a way for us to understand the world,” he said.

Along with culture, education can also be a way of looking at games. João Luiz Almeida Glioche, from Firjan SESI Maracanã, presented “Lendas Matemáticas” (Mathematical Legends), a card game produced by the institution’s students, and reinforced the educational intent behind the games.

The idea of the game is to provide fun ways of learning and, of course, a lot of math. “If you can gamify some content, show that it can be fun, maybe students will look at math differently. ‘Legends’ was designed so that you, the students, could be the protagonists of this educational moment,” said Glioche.

Still on the subject of games and education, Tadeu Classe, a professor at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Unirio), spoke about the important relationship between games and mathematics. “From mathematics, look where we are today. We’ve managed to create games that influence people, how the world acts, how the world acts,” said the professor.

Graph theory, state machines and the research of British mathematician Alan Turing are examples of the influence of mathematics on the structure of games. “Flappy Bird”, an electronic game created by Vietnamese programmer Dong Nguyen in 2013, involves vector force, gravity and the Cartesian plane. The popular “Angry Birds” (2009), by Finnish company Rovio Entertainment, can be thought of through ballistic trajectories and projectile launches.

In addition to mathematics, Classe also mentioned games that help deal with real situations and problems: post-disappearance protocols, fire containment and even issuing the SUS card. “Games can change society, they are manifestations that influence our culture,” he said.

Diversity in the area of exact sciences and technology

Another topic covered at the Festival was the inclusion of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers. Speaker Cristiana Maranhão, who has worked for over 20 years in technology companies such as Google and Oracle, gave an overview of the inequalities in access that women face in the technology sector. “This is a structural problem”.

Nevertheless, in an inspiring tone, she defended the occupation of these spaces by women. “I’ve come to tell you what you didn’t tell me: if you decide on a career like this, your opportunities are huge. Yes, it is possible.”

Read more: “Fun and innovative,” say students at the 3rd edition of FestMat in Rio
See also: Lectures on cryptography and virtual reality mark 1st day of FestMat