The research partnership among university faculty, information technology graduate students, and science content experts from school districts developed the Web-based two-dimensional and three-dimensional virtual reality science games. The games were implemented to engage middle school students in learning, retaining, and applying newly acquired scientific knowledge in novel settings. The quasi-experiential study investigated the impact of gender, grade levels, and educational experiences (i.e., with games vs. without games) on sixth and eighth graders' self-efficacy in learning science, value of science, motivation in science, and perceptions of virtual reality science games in science classes. A total of 255 participants' responses from four rural Appalachian middle school science classrooms in southeastern Ohio were analyzed through a three-way ANCOVA factorial pre-test and post-test data analysis with experimental and comparison groups. The results indicated that the diversity of educational experiences was a significant factor that impacted sixth and eighth graders' perceptions of science. The findings of the two short-answer questions identified the reasons why the participants liked or disliked science, as well as why the participants would or would not choose a career in science. The conclusions discussed the practices that strengthen students' attitude toward science and careers in fields of science.