Teaching kids real-life money skills through gaming

CommBank’s School Banking program has been encouraging good savings habits among Australian students since 1931. In 2017, the program started going digital, and we were tasked with getting kids aged 5 to 12 excited about this brave new world of saving.

As part of a whole theme, we developed the Future Savers app – an augmented reality game that helped children learn practical money skills while having fun. The experience was triggered by scanning a deposit book that every School Banking participant owns. And so that everyone could play, the app also recognised $5 notes.

The AR technology then brought to life a model of a futuristic city, where players met the stars of the School Banking program: the Dollarmites. The characters would set up the story before each of three immersive challenges – Butterfly Snaps, Drone Rescue and Hover Basketball – and later share a lesson learned. Lessons that will hopefully last a lifetime.