Some evidence that computer games do better at teaching math than traditional exercises, reported by Science Daily at Math game more effective than paper exercises
To measure the effectiveness of Monkey Tales, a study was carried out with 88 second grade pupils divided into three groups. One group was asked to play the game for a period of three weeks while the second group had to solve similar math exercises on paper and a third group received no assignment. ...The game studied here was Monkey Tales Games - Educational math games. Progress. Or regress, of course. Probably one of those.
Broadly speaking, it can be concluded that the game showed better results both in terms of motivation and learning efficiency. Further research should reveal how these additional learning outcomes are achieved by the game. Possible reasons are the continuous feedback players receive during gameplay, that the game is more motivating, that it adjusts the difficulty level to the player or -- more generally -- that it trains additional cognitive skills such as working memory and attention.
Serious or educational games are becoming increasingly important. Market research company iDate estimates that the global turnover was €2.3 billion in 2012 and expects it to rise to €6.6 billion in 2015. A first important sector in which serious games are being used, is defence. The U.S. Army, for example, uses games to attract recruits and to teach various skills, from tactical combat training to ways of communicating with local people. Serious games are also increasingly used in companies and organizations to train staff....
