Cool Math Games
Online browser games portal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cool Math Games (branded as Coolmath Games)[a] is an online web portal that hosts HTML and Flash web browser games targeted at children and young adults. Cool Math Games is operated by Coolmath LLC and first went online in 1997 with the slogan: "Where logic & thinking meets fun & games".[2][3][4][5] The site maintains a policy that it will only host games that the operators believe are non-violent and educational.[2]
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Screenshot  A screenshot of www.coolmathgames.com on September 5, 2020. | |
Type of site | Online browser game portal |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | , U.S.[1] |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | Coolmath.com, LLC |
| Industry | Education |
| Parent | Sandbox Group |
| URL | coolmathgames |
| Advertising | Google Ads (with ad-free subscription available) |
| Launched | 1997 |
| Written in | PHP, HTML and Adobe Flash |
In November 2018, its parent company, Constructive Media, LLC, was acquired by Sandbox & Co. (a division of Sandbox Group) from private equity firm H.I.G. Capital.[6]
In November 2019, Popular Mechanics listed Cool Math Games as one of its "50 most important websites" since the internet was created.[7]
In September 2022, Coolmath Coding was launched to teach kids how to code in Roblox and Minecraft.[8]
Coolmath Games Guidelines
Content Screening
According to the Coolmath Games Parents page, each game is reviewed by the site’s internal games team before being published. The review process excludes any games that contain violence, blood, gore, alcohol or drug use, adult or sexual content, religious or political themes, profanity, or foul language.[9]
Player Safety and Communication
Coolmath Games includes features to prevent direct communication or sharing of personal information among players. Freeform chat is not available in any game. In certain multiplayer titles, users can send emojis or select from a list of pre-screened phrases. Usernames in these games are automatically generated and do not contain personal information.[9]
The platform also states that users are never required to provide personal information, such as their real name or email address, to play games.[10]
History
Shutdown hoax
Rumors began spreading in mid-2019 that Cool Math Games was to shut down in 2020 due to the discontinuation of Adobe Flash Player. In light of these rumors, a petition was created on Change.org to stop it from shutting down and gained 100,000 signatures.[4][11][5][12] However, Cool Math Games confirmed that it would not be shutting down and was focusing on getting new HTML5 games and converting old Flash games to HTML5 after Adobe Flash reached its end-of-life in 2020.[5][4] The website opted to use emulation technologies like Ruffle to continue using and viewing legacy flash content.[13][14]
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cool Math Games' popularity increased, having been played by students whilst in lockdown and self-isolating.[15][16] The site's Alexa ranking also went up.[17]
Reception
The Daily Dot called the website's library of content "impressive" in a run-down of the best games on the site.[18] A review by Common Sense Media described the website as having "some" educational value in teaching math principles, but noted the site contained a substantial amount of ads.[19]
Notes
- The name spelling is often alternated between, though this is the name used on company documents.
