US – With many young people accustomed to metaverse platforms such as Roblox and Minecraft, new game Fintropolis is recreating real-world financial scenarios in pixels to help boost money literacy and planning among future generations.
Created by online bank Ally, the game can be explored via Minecraft, with characters that guide players through activities, from understanding cash flow and budgeting to learning about stocks and shares investing, how taxes work and how to buy a home.
Targeting middle school children and their teachers, Fintropolis serves to prepare Generation Alpha for financially healthy lives. Diane Morais, president of consumer and commercial banking at Ally, explains: ‘Fintropolis has the potential to give millions of students the knowledge and confidence needed to make better money decisions, which can affect their lives in profound ways.’
While the wider metaverse has become a youth hub in which the future of socialising, entertainment and creativity is already in play, Ally is showing how metaverse platforms can serve a deeper purpose by educating and upskilling audiences, and preparing them for independence.
Strategic opportunity
Game play often exists in fantasy worlds, but brands can also use it as a valuable tool for teaching the public about more mundane practices or processes, providing life-long skills or awareness