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[rcg222629]

I am working to create a money management action simulation that consists of hundreds of real world missions, mini-games, and challenge questions that take place on interactive maps of 11 major cities on six different continents.  Along the way, the game player can earn “sizzle” or swagger for his/her avatar, based on certain purchases.

The missions cover all areas of personal finance and require the game player to make decisions.  There's also a social media component in which you can see how your avatar is doing relative to those of your friends.

My target market is financial institutions, and my end users are teenagers and young adults.

That said, my questions are as follows:

1.   What are some of the best business models I can use to sell my game to financial institutions (i.e., license the game, sell the game to only one financial institution and customize it to the specs of that particular institution and include that bank’s brand images, etc.)?
2.   What are some additional things I can do and/or add to the game to increase its likelihood of success?

Thanks so much!

[baconman]

Go play some Game Dev Tycoon. Or Cashflow. There's a good start for ya.

[MakeItUpAsIGo]

sounds interesting, before I can offer any advice, are you saying you want to sell this game to companies that work with finances and in turn they will use it on their employees or that they will then license it to their customers?

[rcg222629]

Thanks!  What I mean by the licensing piece is that community banks, regional banks, and credit unions could potentially license the game from me, then make it available to their customers (particularly teenagers and young adults) as an app and/or on the bank's website.  My rationale is that banks have a vested interest and receive certain credits for initiatives that enhance the financial literacy of consumers.  Also, banks have a much wider reach and influence than I have personally.  But, I'm wondering if this is the best approach to monetizing my game, or is there a better way?

[DanglinBob]

The problem, or possible problem to be more precise, is to avoid falling into the gap between education and fun. My favorite Extra Credits video of all time covers this:



That said, once you DO have a game that is actually fun and actually delivers a learning experience... well you can keep your options open I think. If the game is truly fun on its own it can stand on its own legs and just be an entertainment product. Or you could call up a local credit union and see if they'd be interested in taking a look. I'd certainly start with the local credit union approach as that will be a lot easier to set up a meeting. I'd just walk into my local branch, meet with the branch manager, explain you'd like them to put you in touch with their marketing department. Odds are it will take a day or two but shouldn't be that hard. The hard part will be finding a figure and licensing terms that makes everyone happy! Sounds difficult, but if it works and you have good success with it (and the right terms) licensing to one credit union per state could be a very viable business model.

Again this ALL comes back to avoiding the gap between education and fun... so watch that video :D

[rcg222629]

Thanks for the Extra Credit video - it was very helpful!

After watching it, I realized that the games in the video primarily aim to be fun and then sprinkle in a bit of educational value. Whereas, my game is primarily educational and then sprinkles in entertainment value and fun components.