Discovering the unequal interest in popular online educational games and its implications: A case study

Despite the growing scholarly interest in educational computer games, research on popular online educational games is rare. Little is known about which online educational games are popular and to what extent, what kind of users are more interested in these games and how interest in the games is related to academic performance. To fill this gap, this study analyzed Internet search, national educational assessment and sociodemographic data to examine the relationship between interest in a popular children-oriented educational gaming site, academic performance and sociodemographic factors. Data analysis showed that disadvantaged youth may be more interested in the gaming site and that the interest was a negative predictor of academic performance in the subsequent year.