A study carried out by the University of Central Florida (UCF) has found that a video game focusing on arithmetic skills actually led to improvement in academic scores. The study focused on the three games in the DimensionM series, developed by Tabula Digita.

The study shows that the students who had played the games scored significantly higher on district benchmark exams than those who had not. The increase for the test group was more than double the increase of the control group (8.07 points versus 3.74, out of 25). This trend is said to be consistent with prior empirical research on the effects of math games. More...

The study was directed by UCF professor Atsusi Hirumi and a team of faculty and graduate students, who interviewed 193 high school students and 10 teachers from Orange County.

“DimensionM is an immersive video game world that engages students in the instruction and learning of mathematics,” explains the game’s website. “Pre-algebra and algebra objectives are covered through a series of missions that bring math into a world that today's students understand. Students become so captivated in solving problems that they forget they're learning but they don't forget what they've learned.”

The presentation is made to look like any other action game title. Making use of the popular first-person perspective, players enter 3-D reality-based environments to complete various missions using different math skills along the way. The games also allow for single or multiplayer game play.

"This game really has helped me a lot with my geometry skills,” explains LeWahn Wallace, a student. “It's not just an educational tutor which is very boring. It's a game to complete an obstacle course so that you're not just learning you are also having fun at the same time."

"We are teaching a new generation of students, which requires unconventional teaching strategies be put into practice in the classroom. And when schools use our games, the student benefits speak for themselves - a greater desire to learn and higher test score,” said Ntiedo Etuk, CEO and co-founder of Tabula Digita.

Demos of the DimensionM games are available online.