Math Goes Chaotic

Want to impress little Timmy or Tina at the dinner table tonight? Try the following (most effective when said immediately before or after a casual yawn): “So, I hear the debut of 4Kids Entertainment's new multi-platform trading card game went over pretty well at New York Comic Con. What say we hit the stores May 16 so we can be the first to load up on Battlegear and Mugic?”

If that doesn't get the kiddos spitting their peas across the table in complete shock, it's hard to imagine what would. Of course, families who are really in the know have been biting their nails in anticipation since December, when 4Kids TV on FOX began allowing kids to download exclusive virtual Chaotic trading cards from their website. According to Alfred R. Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment, “Chaotic is revolutionary in that its online component is organic to the games' play value, not merely an add-on.”

Huh? Let's back up a bit. 4Kids Entertainment is the children's entertainment juggernaut that birthed fanatical obsessions Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! into the world (or, more specifically turned these little-known trading card games into fanatical obsessions by creating wildly successful television shows around them). Chaotic marks 4Kids Entertainment's first foray into the direct production of an actual game.

So what exactly is Chaotic? Chaotic is the mythical place where players (armed with either UnderWorld or OverWorld cards) battle teams of Creatures loaded up with Battlegear and, this is absolutely true, Mugic (the power of music and magic). Kids can battle with actual cards or online, a somewhat new concept in the world of trading card games.

So why be excited about yet another kids’ product that has the definite potential to suck away your money with the strength of a cosmic black hole? Well, if Chaotic is anything like its predecessors Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, it will require kids to practice their math skills as they add up the vast amounts of points that constitute a win or loss in the complex world of trading card game battles. The same kids who seem to melt into a puddle of grumpiness at the mere sight of their mathematics textbook often don’t bat an eye at the arithmetic required to play trading card games. Be sure to keep the calculator under lock and key for maximum educational value.

Whether your kid is into trading card games for the fun, the creativity, the battles, or even the boost it may give their math skills, one thing is certain, this summer is definitely going to be Chaotic.