designer of DragonBox Algebra here... 0- i totally agree with your post : ) 1-the game was never conceived as a headstart product! 2-our goal is to deliver products that introduce the big ideas in math in an engaging and efficient way, because math can be such an unnecessary pain for many children 3-we recommend to play DragonBox with family members : ) 4- your reference [1] could be about self regulation (social interaction primarily) and academic achievement: http://people.oregonstate.edu/~mcclellm/ms/Morrison,%20Ponit...