Here's something you don't see every day. UK bank NatWest has released a PlayStation 4 game for free that aims to help children better understand the concept of money, savings accounts, tax, and foreign exchange. It's called Island Saver and it's available right now on the PlayStation Store.
The store listing is as follows:
A group of amazing islands need your help! Horrid plastic waste has washed up and you need to sort it out with your trusty Trash Blaster! But look out for the Litterbugs. They love mess and they’re out to muck things up. You need to wash away gloop, collect litter, earn coins and rescue the bankimals! These special animals are living piggy banks and with them you can help save the Savvy Islands and make things good again.
More details on Island Saver have been shared with MCV UK. This is a first-person, open world game that weaves learning opportunities into gameplay, including the chance to earn coins from cleaning up rubbish and saving money in bank accounts. As the child progresses, they will be introduced to more advanced elements such as borrowing money and taxing those who live on the island.
Schools have been criticized for the lacking amount of education they provide for real-world topics such as this, so it's welcoming to see a bank make the venture into the gaming realm to tackle this. Thom Kenrick, head of social strategy and programmes at NatWest, said: "Helping young people better understand money began with the launch of our MoneySense Programme in schools more than 25 years ago. Island Saver is a natural progression of this – especially at a time when parents are looking for free, at-home educational resources, and kids are looking for entertainment."
Island Saver also ships on PS4 with two extra expansions available for purchase at £4 each. The proceeds from these sales will go towards two charities -- Young Money and SpecialEffect. Is this a game you think your own children would be interested in playing? Let us know in the comments below.
[source store.playstation.com, via mcvuk.com]
Comments 16
I’m with NatWest, because they came round our school in year 8 and basically made everyone open an account. Wonder how much the school got off the back of that.
Fun fact: I used to work at NatWest. This is a weird crossover of my past and present.
I'm going to download this for my kids. I'm sick of my 5 year old coming up to me all excited because she has a 'piece of money' and wants to buy all the toys in the world with it. It's 1p sweetie, get over it.
What?!
Lloyds for life <3
Does it have trophies, though?
@danbunce Yes!
https://www.exophase.com/game/island-saver-by-natwest-psn/trophies/
I wish I had kids to download this for...I really want to play it.
got this for kids paid for the dino expansion they love dinos.
Is it bad that I really want a full-blown review which is half-serious, half-comedic?
'...to help kids learn about money' by selling pointless skins as micro-transactions, which causes an instant game-over
@Mergatro1d Yes! That is totally what my daughter does!
@Wazeddie22
I don't have kids, but I'm going to download it just to see exactly how educational it actually is. 😂
In the Barclays game they lose all your money then reposess your house because you can't pay the mortgage.
I definitely approve of positive games like this.
@Crimson_Ridley @Wazeddie22 I also don't have kids but still plan to download and play this game, eventually in a few years when it's dirt cheap.
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