For me, Cool Math Games was one of my gateways into the gaming world.

With the expansive catalog of different games, hours of playtime you could invest and emotional connection you made with pixels, the website was an amazing place.

Until the great crash of the flash player. R.I.P.

But the site was revived! Mostly! So, no need to panic.

When I say “mostly,” I mean a lot of the big games have switched over to HTML5, the newest markup language used to code for websites. However, there are still some stragglers that haven’t been updated. It’s somewhat sad to try and go back to an old game you love, only to have it ripped away from you.

At least there's thousands of other games to play.

My favorites on the site included Run (1,2 and 3!), ANY of Papa's Freezeria, Pizzeria, Cupcakeria … and even more infuriating games like World’s Hardest Game or Parking Mania.

However, the Papa games are the ones who were hit the hardest. None of them are available to play currently.

All of these games both helped entertain me during elementary and middle school and made me have something to look back on and feel nostalgic about.

But at the same time, thinking about how mad I got over pixels on a screen … kind of worrisome.

I also had positive emotions. Playing Duck Life made me feel like a mother at the age of 11. I fed my duck constantly and made it race until it passed out. But in the end, my duck triumphed over all of the others! And then was deleted as soon as I closed the tab.

I think remembering these games and what they did for us as kids is important. While it may seem stupid, they really were a great form of entertainment and at times, learning.

I mean, the website is called Cool MATH Games. Not that kids love to do math in their free time.

If you’d like current suggestions of games to play on Cool Math Games, I’ve got you covered.

IQ Ball is always a classic to go back to, and the little ball is just so cute! I also really enjoy Candy Jump, although getting the little candy ball through the level can be soooo frustrating. Another suggestion would definitely be B-Cubed. It’s a great puzzle game that really makes you think.

And if you’ve read my past columns, you know I love to think.

If you’d like to ever talk about or play on Cool Math Games together, or just want to get into contact with me, add me on Discord at emma#2670, or follow me on Instagram, @emmakarrow.