Addictive Mindless Number Game

Here is a little game I find myself playing a lot recently whenever I only have a few moments (on the bus, in a waiting room, etc).

I first heard about it in a Numberphile video, where the host introduced the game to various math and physics professors.

I should point out that there isn’t technically any calculation involved in this game, since all you have to do is match numbers together. Still, I suppose it’s still beneficial to math education because it helps students remember powers of 2.

2048 Game

The game is called 2048. You can play it for free online by using the arrow keys, or by downloading their free iOS or Android apps.

Here’s my strategy for the game, which has got me to 2048 a few times:

  • Choose a direction you never slide (unless you have no choice). Personally, I never slide upwards.
  • Slide the opposite of that direction (e.g. downwards) whenever possible.

This strategy ends up placing all the larger-numbered tiles on one side of the grid, where you might be able to combine them more easily.

What’s your high score?

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