Blaster Learning System
Encyclopedia
The Blaster Learning System was originally created by Davidson
, but is now owned by Knowledge Adventure
. Originally, the series simply taught mathematics
, but eventually expanded to other subjects, such as language arts
(reading) and science
. Due to the popularity of the original Math Blaster series, Davidson introduced Reading Blaster in 1994, which also went on to become successful. A Science Blaster was introduced 1996, but did not reach the same popularity as its predecessors.
-type figure, Spot, his robot
companion and Galactic Commander, a female superior officer from base. She later became known as G.C. These three characters were the main characters in many of the games. Their images changed rapidly - for example, Spot eventually became a robotic dog. G.C. became a 12 year old girl instead of a female adult, and Blasternaut was renamed Blaster and became a 12 year old boy instead of a green astronaut-like man. These characters were the recreations of the previous versions in later games and were replaced in 2005 solely by Blaster who no longer wears a helmet.
named Dr. Dudley Dabble. This series debuted with Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery, in which Dr. Dabble steals the brain
of the Math Olympic's greatest competitor. Math Blaster: Pre-Algebra, a remake of Math Blaster Mystery, and a sister product of Reading Blaster: Ages 9–12 were later developed in conjunction with each other. The series was later seen in the second version of Reading Blaster: Vocabulary and has not recurred since.
Although this series appears to be wholly unrelated to the above, there have been some crossover
s between the two. For example, one of the stories acquired in Reading Blaster: Ages 6–9 features the characters of the original universe battling Dr. Dabble, although Rave does not appear. In the second version of Reading Blaster: Vocabulary, a character is stated to own the spaceship used in Math Blaster, suggesting the original universe is part of a film series in this iteration of the game.
.
This allowed a very smart computer, Cyclotron X, to become so smart and powerful that it was able to create a device to make humans not only lose what little ability they had to do math, but also to forget what math even was. On the eve of what was to be the beginning of recruiting for an elite squadron of intergalactic peace keepers called the Blaster Corps, Cyclotron X took control of Earth and its two colonies on Saturn and Pluto.
In the years between this event and 8296, AIMEE, an artificial intelligence program created to work with the Blasters, has been moving through the computer network undetected, waiting for someone to accidentally stumble onto and unlock a dormant Blaster recruitment kiosk. When someone with an unnatural curiosity eventually finds it, he is instantly turned into a member of the Blaster Corps, complete with the holographic power hand and the force field which protects him from all elements, and spikes up his hair as a side effect of the energy.
On his quest to restore knowledge, Blaster journeys to three worlds to enlist help of colonial leaders who can help him defeat Cyclotron X, who is orbiting Earth, planning to increase his control.
After starting off with a huge bang and providing the base for the establishment of a very successful public corporation
, the Blaster series eventually fell victim to marketing cuts. In an attempt to sell both up and down the age band more and more, Blasters were produced with increasingly thin, fuzzy and overlapping target age groups. Eventually the line came under fierce attack from the Gross brothers of Knowledge Adventure
, led by Barton Listic. Knowledge Adventure countered with a simple grade-based segmentation with their JumpStart
logo. Eventually, Knowledge Adventure was acquired by Davidson and the company lines were merged.
In 1999, coinciding with the CBS
Saturday Morning
cartoon "Blaster's Universe" produced by Nelvana
, the characters once again changed, probably to be more identifiable as people, with Blasternaut becoming Max Blaster, a 12-year old boy obsessed with science and space in the 21st century, and his Galactic Commander becoming G.C., a cool 12-year-old girl who looks like an earthling but is really an alien. Together they must secretly work to save G.C.'s universe, using logic and creativity to outsmart the intergalactic outlaws. Spot, the robot companion was dropped, with a robot dog named "MEL" ("Mechanically Enhanced Lapdog") replacing him.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, for the most part after Davidson began its series of being bought and merged into other companies, these titles were renamed and repackaged with no change in content. One example is the 1999 release of "Math Blaster for 3rd Grade" in which the box art shows the brand's all new CBS
cartoon
characters, while the screen grabs of the game show a very different Blaster character and style; "Powerful Praise" quoted on the box shows 4½ stars for the game while admitting it was "previously published as "Math Blaster Ages 6–9," but ironically that was itself previously published as "Mega Math Blaster."
In October 2005, Knowledge Adventure released a new version of Math Blaster subtitled "Master the Basics." This new version differs in that it claims "state-standard" math content, and has a Math Blaster character with no space suit. The basics cover a limited range of math including addition
, subtraction
, multiplication
and division
, but only deals with whole numbers, and does not include fractions or decimals. The style of game is similar to many video games, like the Blaster series always has been. The story concerns saving humans from a robot controlled society. The main villain resembled a big eyeball named Cyclotron and Galactic Commander and Spot seem to be absent, replaced by a computer program named AIMEE. This game features the "New universe" explained above.
and Pomegranates
.
Davidson & Associates
Davidson & Associates was an educational software company headquartered in Torrance, California. It was best known for the Blaster series, including Math Blaster and Reading Blaster...
, but is now owned by Knowledge Adventure
Knowledge Adventure
Knowledge Adventure, Inc. is a maker of educational software including the Adiboo and JumpStart series of grade-based and subject-based titles, such as My First Encyclopedia. It was established in the late 1980s in Los Angeles, then later merged with another large education software firm, Davidson...
. Originally, the series simply taught mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, but eventually expanded to other subjects, such as language arts
Language arts
Traditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages....
(reading) and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. Due to the popularity of the original Math Blaster series, Davidson introduced Reading Blaster in 1994, which also went on to become successful. A Science Blaster was introduced 1996, but did not reach the same popularity as its predecessors.
Original universe
In the first games, the main characters were Blasternaut, a heroic astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
-type figure, Spot, his robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
companion and Galactic Commander, a female superior officer from base. She later became known as G.C. These three characters were the main characters in many of the games. Their images changed rapidly - for example, Spot eventually became a robotic dog. G.C. became a 12 year old girl instead of a female adult, and Blasternaut was renamed Blaster and became a 12 year old boy instead of a green astronaut-like man. These characters were the recreations of the previous versions in later games and were replaced in 2005 solely by Blaster who no longer wears a helmet.
Rave and Dr. Dabble universe
In other games in the series, the main character is Rave, a green creature who's constantly foiling the plots of a mad scientistMad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
named Dr. Dudley Dabble. This series debuted with Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery, in which Dr. Dabble steals the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
of the Math Olympic's greatest competitor. Math Blaster: Pre-Algebra, a remake of Math Blaster Mystery, and a sister product of Reading Blaster: Ages 9–12 were later developed in conjunction with each other. The series was later seen in the second version of Reading Blaster: Vocabulary and has not recurred since.
Although this series appears to be wholly unrelated to the above, there have been some crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
s between the two. For example, one of the stories acquired in Reading Blaster: Ages 6–9 features the characters of the original universe battling Dr. Dabble, although Rave does not appear. In the second version of Reading Blaster: Vocabulary, a character is stated to own the spaceship used in Math Blaster, suggesting the original universe is part of a film series in this iteration of the game.
New universe
In the Sixth Millennium, humans have come to rely so much on computers and robots that they have forgotten how to do simple mathSimple Math
Simple Math is the third studio album from Atlanta-based indie rock band Manchester Orchestra. It was released on May 10, 2011 through independent label Favorite Gentlemen Recordings, itself distributed by Sony Music Entertainment...
.
This allowed a very smart computer, Cyclotron X, to become so smart and powerful that it was able to create a device to make humans not only lose what little ability they had to do math, but also to forget what math even was. On the eve of what was to be the beginning of recruiting for an elite squadron of intergalactic peace keepers called the Blaster Corps, Cyclotron X took control of Earth and its two colonies on Saturn and Pluto.
In the years between this event and 8296, AIMEE, an artificial intelligence program created to work with the Blasters, has been moving through the computer network undetected, waiting for someone to accidentally stumble onto and unlock a dormant Blaster recruitment kiosk. When someone with an unnatural curiosity eventually finds it, he is instantly turned into a member of the Blaster Corps, complete with the holographic power hand and the force field which protects him from all elements, and spikes up his hair as a side effect of the energy.
On his quest to restore knowledge, Blaster journeys to three worlds to enlist help of colonial leaders who can help him defeat Cyclotron X, who is orbiting Earth, planning to increase his control.
History
The first remake of the Davidson fundamentals line came in 1989. The original Math Blaster was written in Applesoft Basic and the Microsoft equivalent. Under Mike Albanese, the Davidson programming crew led by Louis Savain created a cross platform development system based on Fig Forth. The product was well received and was the first of many Forth based products developed at Davidson.After starting off with a huge bang and providing the base for the establishment of a very successful public corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
, the Blaster series eventually fell victim to marketing cuts. In an attempt to sell both up and down the age band more and more, Blasters were produced with increasingly thin, fuzzy and overlapping target age groups. Eventually the line came under fierce attack from the Gross brothers of Knowledge Adventure
Knowledge Adventure
Knowledge Adventure, Inc. is a maker of educational software including the Adiboo and JumpStart series of grade-based and subject-based titles, such as My First Encyclopedia. It was established in the late 1980s in Los Angeles, then later merged with another large education software firm, Davidson...
, led by Barton Listic. Knowledge Adventure countered with a simple grade-based segmentation with their JumpStart
JumpStart
JumpStart is an educational media franchise for children, consisting mostly of educational games, produced by Knowledge Adventure. The series is distributed as Jump Ahead in the United Kingdom...
logo. Eventually, Knowledge Adventure was acquired by Davidson and the company lines were merged.
In 1999, coinciding with the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Saturday Morning
Morning
The word morning originally referred to the sunrise. Morning precedes midday, afternoon, and night in the sequence of a day.Morning is the part of the day usually reckoned from dawn to noon...
cartoon "Blaster's Universe" produced by Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
, the characters once again changed, probably to be more identifiable as people, with Blasternaut becoming Max Blaster, a 12-year old boy obsessed with science and space in the 21st century, and his Galactic Commander becoming G.C., a cool 12-year-old girl who looks like an earthling but is really an alien. Together they must secretly work to save G.C.'s universe, using logic and creativity to outsmart the intergalactic outlaws. Spot, the robot companion was dropped, with a robot dog named "MEL" ("Mechanically Enhanced Lapdog") replacing him.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, for the most part after Davidson began its series of being bought and merged into other companies, these titles were renamed and repackaged with no change in content. One example is the 1999 release of "Math Blaster for 3rd Grade" in which the box art shows the brand's all new CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
characters, while the screen grabs of the game show a very different Blaster character and style; "Powerful Praise" quoted on the box shows 4½ stars for the game while admitting it was "previously published as "Math Blaster Ages 6–9," but ironically that was itself previously published as "Mega Math Blaster."
In October 2005, Knowledge Adventure released a new version of Math Blaster subtitled "Master the Basics." This new version differs in that it claims "state-standard" math content, and has a Math Blaster character with no space suit. The basics cover a limited range of math including addition
Addition
Addition is a mathematical operation that represents combining collections of objects together into a larger collection. It is signified by the plus sign . For example, in the picture on the right, there are 3 + 2 apples—meaning three apples and two other apples—which is the same as five apples....
, subtraction
Subtraction
In arithmetic, subtraction is one of the four basic binary operations; it is the inverse of addition, meaning that if we start with any number and add any number and then subtract the same number we added, we return to the number we started with...
, multiplication
Multiplication
Multiplication is the mathematical operation of scaling one number by another. It is one of the four basic operations in elementary arithmetic ....
and division
Division (mathematics)
right|thumb|200px|20 \div 4=5In mathematics, especially in elementary arithmetic, division is an arithmetic operation.Specifically, if c times b equals a, written:c \times b = a\,...
, but only deals with whole numbers, and does not include fractions or decimals. The style of game is similar to many video games, like the Blaster series always has been. The story concerns saving humans from a robot controlled society. The main villain resembled a big eyeball named Cyclotron and Galactic Commander and Spot seem to be absent, replaced by a computer program named AIMEE. This game features the "New universe" explained above.
1994
- Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of SpotMath Blaster Episode I: In Search of SpotMath Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot is a product in a line of educational products created by Davidson & Associates and a remake of their earlier New Math Blaster Plus! from 1991. A version of the game was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as simply Math Blaster: Episode 1...
(remake of New Math Blaster Plus!) - Math Blaster Episode II: Secret of the Lost CityMath Blaster Episode II: Secret of the Lost CityMath Blaster Episode Two- Secret of the Lost City is an educational game in the Blaster Learning System by Davidson & Associates and is the sequel to Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot. In the plot of this math game, the evil Dr. Minus shoots down Blasternaut, Spot, and Galactic Commander as...
- Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery
- Alge-Blaster 3
- Reading Blaster: Invasion of the Word Snatchers
1996
- Mega Math Blaster (remake of Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot)
- Reading Blaster 2000Reading Blaster 2000Reading Blaster 2000 is a remake of Reading Blaster: Invasion of the Word Snatchers created by Davidson & Associates in 1996. The game was later resold as Reading Blaster: Ages 6–9 in 1998 and, under Knowledge Adventure, as Reading Blaster for 3rd Grade in 2000.The game features a premise involving...
- Math Blaster Jr.
- Reading Blaster Jr.
- Geometry Blaster
- Word Blaster
1997
- Math Blaster Ages 9–12 (remake of Math Blaster Episode II: Secret of the Lost City)
1998
- Math Blaster: Ages 4–6 (repackaging of Math Blaster Jr.)old characters
- Reading Blaster: Ages 4–6 (repackaging of Reading Blaster Jr.)old characters
- Math Blaster: Ages 6–9 (repackaging of Mega Math Blaster)old characters
- Reading Blaster: Ages 6–9 (repackaging of Reading Blaster 2000)old characters
- Reading Blaster: Ages 9–12 rave
- Math Blaster: Pre-Algebra (remake of Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery)
- Math Blaster: Algebra (remake of Alge-Blaster 3)
- Math Blaster: Geometry (repackaging of Geometry Blaster)
- Reading Blaster: Vocabulary (repackaging of Word Blaster)rave
1999
- Spelling Blasterold character art
- Reading Blaster: Vocabulary (remake) rave
- Math Blaster for Kindergartennew character art
- Reading Blaster for Kindergartennew character art
- Math Blaster for 1st Gradenew character art
- Reading Blaster for 1st Gradenew character art
- Math Blaster for 2nd Gradenew character art
- Reading Blaster for 2nd Grade (repackaging of Spelling Blaster) new character art but remake of spelling blaster
- Math Blaster for 3rd Grade (repackaging of Mega Math Blaster) new character art remake of math blaster ages 6–9
- Reading Blaster for 3rd Grade (repackaging of Reading Blaster 2000) new character art but remake of reading blaster ages 6–9
- Math Blaster for 4th Grade (repackaging of Math Blaster: Ages 9–12) new character art but remake of math blaster ages 9–12
- Reading Blaster for 4th Grade (repackaging of Reading Blaster: Ages 9–12) rave art same as the old
- Math Blaster for 5th Grade (repackaging of Math Blaster: Pre-Algebra) new art but remake of math blaster pre algebra
- Reading Blaster for 5th Grade (repackaging of the second version of Reading Blaster: Vocabulary) rave version
2008–2009
- Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure new blaster character and universe with same concept as the master the basics.
Cultural references
A Cincinnati indie rock band bears the name Math Blaster as a nod to the game series. They have had a rotating cast of members, including members of All the Day HolidayAll The Day Holiday
All the Day Holiday is an American indie rock band based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 2007.Rolling Stone named All the Day Holiday one of six breakout bands to watch for at the 2009 Bamboozle Festival.-Formation:...
and Pomegranates
Pomegranates (band)
-History:Pomegranates formed in 2006 with Joey Cook, Isaac Karns, and Jacob Merritt. The band released their first recording, Two Eyes EP, in June 2007. In 2007, Josh Kufeldt joined the band they shortly released their first studio album, Everything is Alive that same year...
.