Digital game revolutionizes financial education for young people!

Digital game revolutionizes financial education for young people!

On February 1, 2025, an innovative project called “Learning through serious games to promote financial literacy in secondary school with the active involvement of parents” started at the University of Konstanz, or “LeGacy” for short. The aim of the project is to develop a digital game that teaches young people financial skills. This initiative is aimed at upper secondary school students and relies on the influence of parents by constructively integrating it into the learning process. In order to improve the financial skills of young people, the active participation of parents in a game and learning process is sought, such as uni-konstanz.de reported.

The project will run for three years and involves collaboration with around 30 school classes. In this setting, students are randomly assigned to groups, thereby examining the impact of parental involvement on financial literacy. A detailed analysis of the effect of the game-based learning environment on participants' financial literacy will also be carried out. After the project is completed, the developed game and accompanying materials will be made available free of charge as an open educational resource for schools and families.

Goals and financing of the project

The financial resources for the LeGacy project amount to around 611,960 euros, provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF). Project manager Dr. Liane Platz, business didactics specialist, and co-leader Prof. Dr. Stephan Schumann, Professor of Business Education, is the main person responsible for implementing the project. Dr. Platz brings extensive experience in teaching-learning research and teaching financial skills, while Prof. Schumann specializes in the use of digital media in education.

A look at similar projects shows the relevance of this topic. A pilot study evaluating the serious game “CURE Runners” has demonstrated the potential of a game-based approach to promote financial literacy among young people. It was examined whether the game has positive effects on the financial behavior of the participants. Students aged 11 to 15 from Austria took part in the data collection, which took place before and after playing. The results indicated a significant improvement in attitudes towards money and behavior regarding financial decisions, which is directly related to the game's main mechanics, said academia.edu.

Gameplay and learning objectives

The game focuses on personal financial stability and covers essential aspects such as budgeting, spending monitoring and prioritization. Players must overcome these elements to complete CURE Runners. The positive change in the mean scores in the areas of financial literacy after playing suggests that such serious games can make an effective contribution to improving the financial literacy of young people. A detailed correlation analysis will inform future studies of the long-term learning effects on a personal level, as evidenced by the results of the game.

Overall, “LeGacy’s” approach shows how important it is to integrate financial education into school education. Involving parents not only promotes the transfer of knowledge, but also sustainably strengthens the financial competence of young people. Further information on this important topic is available at empiricale-bildungsforschung-bmbf.de.