Video games have advanced a lot since my Super Mario days. I can play Grand Theft Auto to fulfill my dreams of breaking laws and wrecking havoc or travel in time and relive great battles of war with Call of Duty. But has a video game ever taught you anything about life? Like raising a child or having a mortgage? Well Junior Achievement is a game going that route to give children a virtual lesson on life. Check out the full story of Junior Achievement after the jump.
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What does it feel like to be a single mom with two kids and a mortgage?
If you’re a kid, you have no clue.
But a new, free, online video game from Capital One and Junior Achievement can help young people imagine what adult life is like, and help them learn how to make wise decisions about their financial future.
Aimed at middle school and high school students, JA Finance Park Virtual provides a real-life context for money decisions.
Students who log on – the website is financepark.ja.org – are assigned a randomly generated life scenario, including a fictional job, age, income, educational background and family.
Another version has been developed for schools, where it can be used along with a four-week curriculum from Junior Achievement.
Based on their new identities, kids get various grownup assignments, such as developing a budget, maintaining a household and pursuing a career.
“They then go through a simulation and make real-life decisions,” said John Box, senior vice president of education at Junior Achievement.
“Kids begin to see how the decisions they make now will have an impact on their life later,” said Carolyn Berkowitz, vice president of Community Affairs at Capital One. “We all wish we knew these things when we were kids.”
