The video game industry has seen a vast growth even through the pandemic. In fact,
its revenue reached an all-time high of $175 billion in the year of 2020 with an increase of
20% from the previous year. Since then, the industry has been further growing rapidly.
Come to think of it, it makes sense; who wouldn’t want to get lost in a fun virtual world
and run away from the burden of real life? But did you know that many games,
while also presenting an entertainment factor, also produce an educational value?
The list of video games we have today help explain some complex financial lessons
that you can carry on with you in the real world. Finical literacy is a must if you want to succeed,
so why not get that education from a series of colorful and exciting games?
So, without further ado, here are some video games you can enjoy as you learn about money.
But, before we tell you, why don’t you tap the subscribe button and the bell icon,
so you never miss any of our videos. Now, let’s begin, shall we?
The Sims Have you ever
thought about how much easier life would be if you had a practice run at it first? If yes,
The Sims can give you that. This game is first on the list because it truly mimics reality. You,
the player, are taught a lot about money management seeing as you have to create a
budget from the limited funds you receive. You get a job which continually provides you with money.
With the budget you create, you buy a house in a neighborhood that you can afford,
and you have to spend money on your basic day-to-day needs. While severely addicting,
this games gives you a test-run of sorts when it comes to budgeting your finances.
Slime Rancher Imagine colorful and adorable
slimes popping up to teach you about investing… I’d much rather learn about investing from them
than from some boring old human. In Slime Rancher, you build a farm on a strange, far,
far away planet and those tiny slimes pop up and tell you ways you can grow your money. It
teaches you a very important lesson on how small investments can compound into a mass of wealth.
House Flipper Most of us know that the real estate industry
is a lucrative industry to head into. One way you can make money in that area is by house flipping.
Buy an undervalued property, renovate it, and then sell it for profit. This game is based on exactly
that! The player goes into a run-down house, and they manually renovate it to increase its value.
House flipping in this game is eerily similar to how it works in real life.
Animal Crossing Now expect to be pleasantly
surprised at how charming and educational Animal Crossing is. This game has been described as
the treasure of wholesome economic principles. It’s the perfect place for kids and adults to
acquire financial knowledge. The game teaches users to understand several aspects of money.
The first lesson we learn is to do with mortgage. When you start the game, you’re living in a tent.
In order to buy a house, you need to earn ‘bells’ (the game’s currency). Once you’ve
bought your house, you can continue to upgrade it by earning more and more ‘bells’. There are
many adorably fun ways you can earn money in this game. Save up and build the house of your dreams!
The other lesson you’re taught in this game is trade. There is a market in which you can buy and
sell goods. Along with this, once a week you’re presented with the opportunity to buy turnips.
You can later sell the turnips or eat them. If you sell them be warned, there is a slight chance you
could be lowballed on the transaction. You need to make your decision quick! turnips
don’t last for too long in the game; they rot in seven days’ time. To sell, or not to sell…
FIFA The game not only presents
players with an opportunity to play football, but to also understand the business. The FIFA
Franchise segment enables players to act as the club managers where they get to manage the club’s
budget. They have to make the core decisions, to buy players, negotiate payments and invest into
the teams. It’s a pretty cool interactive way to understand the football business.
Capitalism Lab Honestly you don’t need to look
past the name to know this game will teach you about finances. I actually think this is one of
the best business simulations ever. If you want to own a business but feel like you don’t know much
about the ins and outs, give this game a try. Sticking with the ongoing theme of ‘test run’,
you can get a taste of what it takes to run a whole corporation in whatever industry you want.
This game is so fantastic, it’s actually been used in several school competitions!
Kerbal Space Program In the real world, nothing is handed
over to you for free. If it is, there’s always strings attached. This game teaches you just that.
The player needs to work hard and mine minerals that can be used to make a spaceship.
Only once they’ve done the hard work, do they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor;
this is a vital lesson one must keep in mind if they wish to succeed in real life.
Stardew Valley To tell you the truth,
I’ve always wanted to live on a farm, milk cows, and just enjoy nature and my own private garden.
I was aways under the impression that being a farmer was fun and relaxing… until I played this
game. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of my all-time favorites but wow do you have to work hard!
In the game you move into your grandfather’s neglected farm with a limited budget.
The main goal is to clean up the farm and make it presentable but in order to do that,
you require a substantial amount of money. There are many ways in which you can earn your money.
Options include selling minerals from your mining adventures; selling animal products;
fishing; and so on. Budgeting is the biggest lesson you learn from this game. This game
also does a great job at teaching you how to re-invest your profits back into the business.
NBA This game
is yet another that will train you to understand finances and the sports business. In the game, the
players have to make crucial decisions that will affect their career as the basketball team manager
and the team players under them. Just as the FIFA game, the team managers are given a tight
budget with which they have to build a team, and make all the financial decisions. The game also
teaches players how to manage loans by enabling them to hire players on debt and repaying on time.
The Legend of Zelda This is one of the few games in
which although you get your money in questionable ways, you still end up learning about its value.
Players are taught about budgeting and spending through gambling. There are several mini-games
within this game. Think of it like a virtual Las Vegas casino, except instead of getting drunk
and blowing all your money, you actually do learn about how to tactfully spend what you’ve earned.
Civilization Although it’s been out for 20 years, this is
still my go-to educational game. In this game, you have to acquire resources to build civilizations,
make alliances, and even fight with other tribes. Along with learning about money management,
you also understand the power of soft skills like negotiation and diplomacy. With the game
learning about business has never been so cool! Buy It Right
This game is perfect for kids between the ages of 6 to 10. It’s used a lot in schools
to train children with different levels of math’s skills about money management.
The game uses the most realistic replica of money and enables kids to understand the principles of
trade and value of money. Pay Day
This is another game that’s amazing for younger children. It takes 15 minutes from start to
finish and within that short time, you’ll learn a number of new skills. The game revolves around
earning a pay check, budgeting and paying for bills. The remainder of the money in this came
can be used to make investment decisions on property deals. Passive income is so important
for financial freedom, and this is one of the games that teaches you that principle.
Thrive Time I have talked about so many games in this video,
but none matches up to the realistic life and money concepts taught in Thrive Time. The game
takes you through different stages in life. It starts off from the point of being a student
with a part-time job. It teaches the player how to manage the money they have by paying bills,
taking loans, and earning returns from the right investments. The game also has a balance
sheet that enables the players to keep track of their income streams. The game is a wonderful
place to start if you want to learn about money-making strategies and money management.
Dave Ramsey The most vital lesson this game teaches you is
how to get out of (or better yet completely avoid) debt. You start the game by choosing a life card
and three different debit cards. The end goal is to eliminate the debt through strategic playing.
You’re given pieces of advice on how to get out of debt; this advice is so realistic,
you can use it in your own life. This is the perfect game to learn about debt management.
SimCity This game
is quite complicated, but you will definitely get the hang of it after a couple of rounds.
Like many other games on this list, it starts off with the player having a specified budget.
With this money, the player is supposed to select the location they will live in
and the city’s infrastructure to increase development in the region. Once the city is
well developed, revenue will be generated from multiple streams supporting the economy. If the
infrastructure isn’t well utilized, there will be stagnated growth. This game will
not only teach you the basics of money, but how to contribute to overall economic development.
Railroad Tycoon
If you’d like to learn about the basic concepts of running a startup,
this game is for you. You start off by choosing a debt amount for running the business;
the higher the amount, the higher the interest rate. Once you have the money,
it is up to you to choose how to spend it. Running a business requires strategic thinking,
planning and financial forecasting and management. All these crucial lessons are taught in this game.
You generate revenue by selling goods from one city to another based on demand and supply.
Should you re-invest the generate income or should you buy shares of competitors?
These decisions presented in the game will also be presented to you in real life. Business school,
or not – everything you need to know about being a business tycoon is provided in this game.
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