Making the Case for Role-Playing Games

At Smarty Cents Academy, we use a role-playing game (RPG) approach because it creates a fun, immersive way for kids to learn real-world skills. Research shows that RPGs help students build social-emotional strengths like collaboration, decision-making, and empathy, while also reinforcing academics like math, logic, and public speaking — all in a way that feels like play, not work (Slaughter & Orth, 2024). By giving students ownership of their learning through storytelling and teamwork, we make financial literacy and entrepreneurship more engaging, memorable, and meaningful.

Learning Outcomes through our unique, proprietary role-playing game-based curriculum:

• Understand needs vs. wants, savings, and spending
  

• Budget and track earnings through real-world scenarios
  

• Collaborate through trades, negotiations, and team ventures
  

• Practice pitching and presenting ideas with confidence
  

• Adapt to changes and surprises with critical thinking

  
  

Research-Backed Results

• 85% improvement in financial decision-making skills when using game-based learning compared to traditional methods.

• 92% of students report that RPG-based financial education is more engaging than traditional classroom instruction.

• 73% better retention of financial concepts after 6 months when learned through role-playing activities.