A Resource-Management Strategy Game for Teaching Financial Principles to STEM Professionals

Resumo

This work presents the development of a serious strategy game designed to teach fundamental financial management principles to professionals and students in engineering, computer science, and related STEM fields. The game simulates real-life financial challenges and decision-making scenarios through a mechanics-driven experience adapted to the financial context. Players must manage limited resources, balance budgets, prioritize spending, and build emergency funds while facing unforeseen events such as economic crises or unexpected expenses. The educational objectives include fostering understanding of personal and business financial planning, promoting awareness of financial risks, and highlighting the importance of building financial resilience. The gameplay incorporates immediate feedback to reinforce the consequences of decisions — for example, overspending may lead to high-interest loans. The learning curve progresses gradually, starting from basic concepts like budgeting and evolving toward more advanced topics such as investment strategies and long-term planning. To support engagement and retention, the game features a narrative structure based on relatable challenges and offers competitive elements through ranking systems based on financial health rather than accumulated wealth. Developed using a low-code platform, the prototype is designed for easy adaptation and scalability. Preliminary evaluations with target users suggest increased motivation and improved conceptual understanding, reinforcing the potential of serious games as accessible tools for professional financial education in STEM domains.