Interactive games for teaching financial principles

Abstract

Electronic media for teaching others financial principles includes an interactive game that includes a financial lesson. The interactive game may be remotely accessed by users via a network such as the Internet. In certain embodiments the interactive game includes (i) a lesson portion; (ii) a game play portion; and, optionally, (iii) a lesson reinforcement portion. In other embodiments the interactive game includes one or more rewards for successfully completing each interactive game. Such rewards may include a certificate of achievement and/or access to an otherwise inaccessible game.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
   
   
       21 . A medium storing instructions that, when executed by a provided processor, cause the processor to enable a user to access to an interactive game through a provided communications medium and using a provided user interface, the interactive game having one or more game characters animated to:
 (i) convey one or more financial lessons to the user using the user interface; and   (ii) ask the user to provide input, using the user interface, about the one or more financial lessons.   
   
   
       22 . The medium of  claim 21 , wherein the medium further stores instructions to reward the user for successfully providing the input. 
   
   
       23 . The medium of  claim 22 , wherein the rewarding comprises enabling the user to access an otherwise inaccessible game. 
   
   
       24 . The medium of  claim 22 , wherein the rewarding comprises issuing, through the user interface, an achievement award to the user. 
   
   
       25 . The medium of  claim 24 , wherein the achievement award comprises a certificate including a name of the user and a description of the one or more financial lessons for which the user successfully provided the input. 
   
   
       26 . The medium of  claim 21 , wherein the one or more game characters are further animated to reinforce at least one of the one or more financial lessons to the user. 
   
   
       27 . The medium of  claim 21 , wherein the enabling of the user to access the interactive game comprises:
 allowing the user to select one of a plurality of available interactive games to play; and   allowing the user to select a level of the selected interactive game.   
   
   
       28 . The medium of  claim 21 , wherein the one or more financial lessons pertain to at least one financial principle selected from the group consisting of: debts, return on investment, earned income, charity, profit, elasticity of price and demand, and asset income. 
   
   
       29 . The medium of  claim 21 , wherein the one or more game characters comprise a first interactive game character that conveys the one or more financial lessons to the user and a second interactive game character that the user is requested to assist through the user interface. 
   
   
       30 . The medium of  claim 29 , wherein requesting the user to assist the second interactive game character includes asking the user to provide the input about the one or more financial lessons by assisting the second interactive character to make at least one selection. 
   
   
       31 . The medium of  claim 30 , wherein the at least one selection comprises a selection of one or more available displayed indicia representing one or more products to sell, the selection for enabling the second interactive game character to make the greatest profit. 
   
   
       32 . The medium of  claim 31 , wherein the interactive game further includes a measuring tool for the user to evaluate an elasticity of price and demand of the one or more products represented by the displayed indicia. 
   
   
       33 . The medium of  claim 21 , wherein the one or more game characters convey the one or more financial lessons by demonstrating to the user different ways to obtain money. 
   
   
       34 . The medium of  claim 33 , wherein the different ways to obtain money include one or more of: working, borrowing and investing. 
   
   
       35 . The medium of  claim 34 , wherein demonstrating to the user how to obtain money by working includes requesting that the user perform a repetitive task. 
   
   
       36 . The medium of  claim 35 , wherein the repetitive task comprises the user using the user interface to select a displayed symbol a plurality of times. 
   
   
       37 . The medium of  claim 21 , wherein conveying the one or more financial lessons by the one or more game characters includes teaching the user to put money aside for one or more of: charity, expenses and retirement. 
   
   
       38 . The medium of  claim 37 , wherein the user provides the input by controlling, using the user interface, a user character through a side-scrolling game environment to collect a plurality of desirable items and avoid certain undesirable items. 
   
   
       39 . The medium of  claim 21 , wherein the user is asked to provide the input by using the user interface to place one or more indicia representing an income asset at a position on a displayed map where an income from the income asset is maximized. 
   
   
       40 . The medium of  claim 39 , wherein the one or more indicia comprise a depiction of a gumball machine.