Game App that Teaches Investing and Saving Concepts

RMN Digital | July 24, 2012 | Americas, Applications, Consumer, Enterprise, Games, Lifestyle, Masses, Regions | No Comments

ING U.S., a leading financial services provider, announced today a new mobile game app designed to help build investment and retirement planning awareness for consumers of all ages.

Available for free on the App Store for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, the app, called STRUCT, leverages the power of “gamification” – integrating game elements such as points, levels and a leader board – while it simultaneously exposes players to fundamental investing concepts and terms. To learn more, visit http://structgame.com.

The premise of the game is for players to work with various building materials that symbolize different investment categories – steel (cash), wood (bonds) and glass (stocks) – as they build increasingly complex towers or “structs.”

Three main characters, called the build crew, correspond to a unique investor style: aggressive, moderate and conservative. A fourth crewmember is a wild card, representing both market opportunity and risk.

Through crew selection and game objectives, metaphors about saving and investing are conveyed that parallel the concepts of risk, diversification, goals and achievement. Crew selection, a diversified strategy, and material handling are critical to a player’s success.

“By leveraging the popularity of mobile game apps, we believe STRUCT will entertain users while exposing them to important concepts,” said Rick Mason, president of Corporate Markets for ING U.S. Retirement.

Players of STRUCT are introduced to each of the 12 game levels by an instruction guide – who provides tips that challenge the player to work with different building material and crewmembers.

Each level brings new complexity, and the right combination of crew, material placement and speed helps the player score points and unlock achievements. There are also surprise moves one can discover as they engage in play – including breakage, bonus points and the ability to discard a crewmember’s building material.

The “Build School” brings the metaphors to life, demonstrating how investor style and asset classes can impact the outcome, while the game’s glossary helps to build knowledge of key financial terms.