GAME LA
Joined 2026
Partners
Los Angeles USD (LAUSD)
Compton USD (CUSD)
Stemuli Studios Inc.
WestEd
Loyola Marymount University (LMU)
What are we building?
An AI-powered, culturally responsive, career-connected math learning experience designed to improve motivation, engagement, persistence, math learning, and career awareness for Black students, Latine students, and students experiencing poverty in LAUSD and Compton USD. At the center of the work is Founder Tycoon, a game-based learning experience for grades 6–12 in which students apply mathematical reasoning in the context of entrepreneurship, real-world decision-making, and career exploration—making math more meaningful, more personalized, and more motivating for priority students. Embedded within Founder Tycoon is Or[b], an AI-native math tutor that adapts in real time to how each student learns–using Socratic questioning to surface reasoning, shifting among instructional modes based on student need, and targeting misconceptions to build both procedural fluency and conceptual understanding. Together, they form a single integrated platform designed for use in math classrooms and E-sports contexts.
What are we learning?
Our overarching learning question is: How does AI-driven, game-based, career-connected math learning influence motivation, engagement, persistence, and math outcomes for priority students? Specifically, we aim to learn:
AI Personalization: How does Or[b]'s adaptive, AI-driven tutoring influence math learning, math identity, and motivation, engagement, and persistence (MEP) among priority students–and how do different instructional modes and scaffolding approaches shape those outcomes?
Cultural Relevance and Real-World Connection: How do culturally relevant and real-world connected features in Or[b] affect students' MEP, math identity, and math learning–and do these features shift how students see themselves as mathematical thinkers?
Career-Connected Learning: How does embedding career awareness and future-oriented pathways into both Or[b] and Founder Tycoon influence students' mathematical reasoning, sense of relevance, and career awareness?
Game-Based Learning: Which gamified features in Founder Tycoon–such as adaptive gameplay, narrative, challenge, and career-connected scenarios–are most associated with improvements in math learning and MEP, and how do students using Founder Tycoon compare to those in business-as-usual instruction?
Products
Founder Tycoon with Or[b] Math Founder Tycoon is a game-based learning experience for grades 6–12 in which students build and run their own companies—making real decisions about budgeting, pricing, resource allocation, and growth that require mathematical reasoning at every turn. As students develop their businesses, math becomes the tool they need to succeed: to understand whether their company is profitable, to plan for the future, and to navigate the challenges of running something real. The experience incorporates culturally responsive storytelling, personalized pathways, and dynamic business scenarios that help students see themselves as capable mathematical thinkers and future builders. Embedded within Founder Tycoon is Or[b], an AI-native math tutor available 24/7 that adapts in real time to how each student learns—not just what they get right or wrong. Built on a proprietary pedagogical model, Or[b] uses Socratic questioning to surface student reasoning and shifts among instructional modes–Socratic dialogue, guided step-by-step support, and direct instruction–based on what each student needs in real time. Or[b] surfaces misconceptions, builds metacognitive skills, and delivers expert-level personalized math support to students who have historically lacked access to it.
