Math for the Real World is a 1997 Edutainment Game from Davidson & Associates, best known for the Math Blaster series. As the title implies, the game is meant to answer the age-old question of "Why learn math when we'll never use it in real life?", which is done in a way that would entice kids to play it.
A local garage band has made it big when they are offered a ten city tour, with the opportunity to make and star in a music video. However, they have to manage their own funds and make enough money on the tour to afford a complete music video.
That's where you come in. Acting as their manager/accountant, you must travel with the band and make sure they reach the end of their tour without going bankrupt. Along the way you'll have to find your way to a gas station every once in a while to fill up the van, and make sure the band doesn't starve by stopping at Edna's Diner when you get the chance.
The band includes:
- Santiago "Sonny" N. Silla: Lead guitarist and vocalist.
- Grace Davidson: Keyboarder and vocalist.
- Samantha "Sam" Berkeley: Rhythm guitarist.
- Leonard "8-Track" Seltzer: Bassist.
- Elizabeth "Zibbie" Stix: Drummer.
- Arthur "Rusty" Rostenkowski: Saxophonist.
The main way to earn money is by solving various math-related problems the band comes across, like paying for the call to reserve a motel room, finding the cheapest deal for a radio advertisement, and figuring out the quickest route to the next gig.
Once you arrive at the next city, you play one of two minigames. The first one involves riding around town in a Pac-Man-like maze collecting dollar signs which represent gigs, while avoiding fans hounding for autographs and later on, the paparazzi. The second minigame involves taking over for Zibbie for a performance by playing the drums with the space bar and control key as your drums and kick, respectively.
After finishing each leg of the tour, you're given the option to start working on your music video, or continue driving. The music video can have up to ten "scenes" and must have all ten in order to finish at the top of the music charts.
Math for the Real World has examples of the following tropes:
- Anti-Frustration Features: The game comes with an in-game calculator and a handbook with hints for each problem.
- Exposition Fairy: The agent, who will pop up at the start and end of the game, as well as each leg of the tour. The band also counts, as they initiate the math questions and then either tell you to try again, congratulate you for getting it right, or mourn losing money when you get the question wrong for the second time.Sam: Whoa, you lost those dollars so fast it made my head spin!
- Facial Dialogue: During the minigame where you play the drums for Zibbie, a fellow band member will turn around to let you know how you're doing. If you're doing well, they will smile and give you a thumbs up. However, if you're hitting enough wrong notes, they will glare at you.
- Five-Token Band: There's six members of the band, which include an African-American girl, an Asian girl, and a Mexican guy, and in all cases, they are not stereotypes (Grace is an educated Ivy League girl who was classically trained, Zibbie is energetic and talkative and has to be moving all the time, and the Sonny is, true to his name, sunny-natured and a real people person).
- Garage Band: The introduction of the game shows the band performing in a garage, making it clear that it's your job to help them make it big.
- Genki Girl: Zibbie. She got into drumming because she couldn't help fidgeting all the time and percussion lets her move around as she plays. She is also known to talk "a mile a minute".
- Granola Girl: Sam. Her bio mentions her parents were former hippies.
- Gratuitous Spanish: Sonny talks in a mix of English and Spanish."You just made mucho dinero!" (Lots of money)
- Greasy Spoon: Edna's Diner.
- Guide Dang It!: Some of the word problems later on can get pretty tricky, even with the handbook and calculator at the ready.
- Informed Attribute: All of the traits in the band's bio pages, such as Sonny's hobby being dance and Grace's logical mind.
- In-Series Nickname: Everyone in the band except Grace has their name shortened or has a nickname. Lampshaded as Grace's bio gives her nickname as "Just Call Me Grace".
- Lead Singer Plays Lead Guitar: Sonny is the band's frontman and lead guitar.
- Karmic Jackpot: When you get a question right, Sam is likely to attribute gaining more money to karma. In one congratulations message, she states "You must have done something good in a past life!"
- Meaningful Name: Sonny. His bio states that he should spelled his name "Sunny" because it described him well. Zibbie too - her surname is Stix, and she's a drummer.
- Military Brat: Rusty. His bio states this caused his family to move around a lot and he had to learn different languages. He got into music because "It's the same in every language".
- Must Have Caffeine: 8-Track.
- Non-Standard Game Over: If you run out of money, your tour is terminated.
- Random Number God: You will occasionally be stopped to be told that you have gained or lost some money. This is completely random, unless you haven't stopped for food or gas (in which case you lose money). You often lose money when told that Zibbie left her drumming sticks at the last rest stop.
- Shout-Out:
- One of the various backdrops for the music video is the Half Dome.
- Two animations you can add to music videos, a shapeshifting knight in yellow armor and a woman throwing pies, are recycled from Davidson's Fisher-Price Great Adventures Castle game.
- Surfer Dude: 8-Track talks this way.8-Track "Whoa, classic. Green ones!"
