Dicey Escape is a digital game for children ages 5 to 8 developed by Fred Rogers Productions, producers of the renowned PBS KIDS series Odd Squad. In Dicey Escape, players progress through a series of rooms by searching for and solving increasingly complex math problems, all centered around dice. Early levels have players matching the number of dots on a die to the correct numeral, while later challenges involve solving addition and subtraction problems or comparing numbers to determine which is greater or less. In the final level, players use algebraic thinking to fill in the blanks on both sides of an equation. Throughout the game players aim to escape from each room and defeat the Odd Squad villain.
Odd Squad Dicey Escape: A Digital Math Game
About This Project
PBS KIDS engaged Fluent Research to determine if the Odd Squad Dicey Escape game improved math skills and to evaluate its general appeal. We explored the following research questions:
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- Do children who play Dicey Escape show significant improvements over time in math skills as assessed by a standardized math measure and researcher-developed measures?
- Does greater engagement with the game predict larger pre-post gains in the measures?
- Do children and parents like the game and continue to like the game over time?
We conducted an intervention study with an in-person pretest, a three-week at-home gameplay period where children played Dicey Escape at least six times, and an in-person posttest. The study began with a pretest at one of three locations, where children completed standardized and researcher-developed math assessments while parents provided information on their child’s media habits, gaming experiences, and math engagement. A researcher then introduced families to the at-home portion of the study, ensuring high retention (n=157 at pretest; n=145 at posttest; 8% attrition).
During the at-home phase, children played the game at least twice a week for 15 minutes each time, with parents tracking their engagement and play duration. Researchers monitored gameplay access and collected periodic child feedback on favorite and least favorite aspects. One play session was video-recorded. After the intervention, parents helped children complete a final survey on the game’s appeal and educational value.
The posttest mirrored the pretest assessments, with additional parent surveys on engagement, learning impact, and perceptions of the game’s quality. To account for formal math instruction, all analyses were conducted by grade level rather than age.
We found that young children who played Dicey Escape significantly improved their math skills, particularly in number sense, number relations, number operations, and early algebraic thinking. Children across all age groups (5–7 years old) showed measurable growth in standardized and researcher-developed math assessments. Engagement was high but slightly decreased over time. Parents and children generally found the game enjoyable and educational, though some children experienced frustration with increasing difficulty. While play time did not directly correlate with learning gains, the game improved problem-solving speed and accuracy. Parents considered Dicey Escape a high-quality learning tool but suggested more varied content and adjustable difficulty. Despite limitations, the study indicates Dicey Escape is a promising tool for early math learning in informal settings.