Our thinking

Trash Blasters and Savvy Islands

22 May, 2020

This week, continuing the theme of stealth learning we wrote about last week, we continue to explore how the internet is coming alive with content designed to bring the ‘fun’ back into home education.  

Last week saw the launch of our client NatWest’s Island Saver an interactive financial education game for children between 7 – 12. Children clean up plastic waste using Trash Blasters from the Savvy Islands and learn about spending, saving and even tax and foreign exchange as they do so. The game was launched on the back of a MoneySense survey which indicated that 32% of parents said that computer and phone games influence their children’s ideas of money and how to spend it, and 53% who said their children’s lack of interest was a challenge when it came to teaching them about money.  With this in mind, NatWest is looking to harness children’s enthusiasm for video games and use it as an opportunity to teach them about responsible money management.

This speaks to the very heart of NatWest Group’s new commitment to being a purpose-led bank, focused on championing potential, helping people, families and businesses to thrive. Learning and financial capability form an important part of this, and Island Saver is an integral part of this new focus.

The game has proven to be so popular that adult gamers have taken to social media to express their appreciation, with one keen user stating ‘never would I have thought a bank would actually go so far as to create a full actual game!’

No one is immune from money worries at the moment, and many parents are struggling with home learning. So it’s time to fire up the XBox or Switch, and get them learning that way.

By Gemma Coate