- Category:
Gamification, Simulation, FinTech
- Software:
Unity, C#, Firebase
- Service:
Game Development
- Client:
FinLit Gaming
- Date:
January 15, 2023
Apartment Tycoon: Mastering the Art of Home Budgeting
Apartment Tycoon gamifies the often stressful topic of housing finance. Players take on the role of a property manager, tasked with balancing rental income, maintenance costs, and tenant satisfaction while saving for their own dream home.
Financial Literacy Through Play
Learning about mortgages, interest rates, and emergency funds can be daunting. Apartment Tycoon breaks these concepts down into fun, manageable game mechanics that educate while they entertain.
Challenge & Solution
The Challenge: Financial literacy rates among young adults are low, particularly regarding real estate and home ownership. Traditional educational methods (seminars, pamphlets) fail to engage this demographic. There was a need for an interactive tool that could simulate the long-term consequences of financial decisions without real-world risk.
The Solution: We developed Apartment Tycoon, a strategy simulation game.
Strategic Management
Players start with a single unit and must make decisions on renovations, rent pricing, and tenant selection. Random events (e.g., “Broken Pipe,” “Market Crash”) test their ability to maintain an emergency fund.
Mechanics:
- Dynamic economy system
- Risk vs. reward scenarios
- Unlockable neighborhoods
Final Result
Apartment Tycoon has been downloaded over 100,000 times and is used by several credit unions as an engagement tool for younger members.
80k Budget Plans Created
Players have created over 80,000 virtual budget plans, learning key financial principles through hands-on gameplay.
35% Expense Reduction
Surveys showed that regular players reported a 35% reduction in their real-world impulsive spending habits.
25k Monthly Savings
The game has inspired users to collectively start saving over $25,000 per month in their actual bank accounts.
This project demonstrates how gaming can be a powerful medium for teaching essential life skills.
