Cool Tools & Assignments
Unfair Football
I wrote this little flash football game a while back as an examination review tool. It follows some of the basic rules of American Football. Here is how I use it in my classes.
Divide into two teams; one home and one visiting team. The home team receives possession of the ball first on their own 20 yard line (sorry no coin toss). I usually use a small foam football, or a beanbag to show whose turn it is. Whomever has the ball has to answer a review question. I allow one hand-off per question. The person holding the ball can either answer the question or hand off to another person on their team. That person must answer the question. If the offense team is able to answer correctly, click the “offense” button and the ball will advance down the field by a random amount. If the offense is incorrect, the defense team can answer. (I usually allow the defense to converse and arrive at an answer as a team, but only one player may answer on offense.) If the defense answers correctly, click the “defense” button, and the ball will not advance and might even lose some yards. If neither team can answer correctly, click the “Go” button and the computer decides which way to move the ball.
Sometimes the ball moves a little, sometimes it moves a lot, and this has nothing to do with the difficulty of the question asked. That’s why it is called “Unfair Football.” Sometimes it’s simply not fair when you answer a hard question and move only two yards ahead, or you get a really easy question and you strike a long bomb of 25 yards. It’s all randomly determined.
For the offense to continue playing, it must advance ten yards within four downs to achieve another first down. If after four downs they fall short of the ten yards, the defense takes over possession of the ball. It is possible to kick on the fourth down if it seems unlikely a first down can be made. If the ball reaches the end zone, it will count as a field goal for three points. If not, the other team simply takes over where it landed and play resumes in the opposite direction. Keep answering questions to move the ball forward, and eventually you will score a touchdown!
My college students get a kick out of this reviewing method and I wanted to share this little program with you to try. Feel free to download it, keep it, distribute it, and use it as you like. If you do use it, I would appreciate an email to billgx@ksu.edu to let me know, or simply comment to this post. I would love to know what subjects you are using it to review with. (I use it mostly in my Intro. to Networking class.)
If I could figure out a way to get some more time, I would continue developing this, and work on some new projects as well. For now, enjoy what I have already completed!
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I wish my teachers had done something like this for review, rather than the boring old ‘Here’s review, I’ll read a bunch of stuff you didn’t listen to the first time again’. I applaud you good sir for trying to be interesting and informative (and for being able to code and teach, doubt any of my teachers, even the comp sci ones, could have done something like this)
I’ve used this game for several semesters now. I used to to a “Jeopardy” style review, but this seems to work as well.
I need to think of some other, similar style competitions for review to keep things interesting.