Business Video Game Making Students Better Entrepreneurs

Nearly 70% of College Students More Interested in Starting a Business After Playing Award-Winning Venture Valley Video Game

PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Students nationwide have reported that playing the free award-winning video game, Venture Valley by Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship has positively affected their desire to become an entrepreneur. Working with renowned Dubit research analysts and educators aligned with Discovery Education, the Venture Valley team conducted a survey that found the game greatly enhanced students' education about business and entrepreneurship. Nearly 70% of survey recipients reported they were more interested in starting a business after taking on challenges in this fast-paced business simulation game. Students and educators also confirmed that game-based learning, as is the case with Venture Valley, is a great way to teach critical financial and business literacy skills.

Launched two years ago during National Entrepreneurship Week, which this year is February 10-17, 2024, Venture Valley takes players on the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur in a risk-free environment. The game is free on PC and mobile (iOS and Android) and has won numerous awards acknowledging Venture Valley's innovative and effective approach to teaching financial literacy and entrepreneurship with a medium that the student target market understands – video games. After using the Venture Valley game in class and as homework, teachers indicated that the game helps teach financial literacy and helps students retain business-related concepts.

The college, high-school and middle school students who played the game in their classrooms or as part of the "Venture Valley Collegiate Cup," an in-person tournament at colleges, agreed with the educators' assessment. At least 4 in 5 players recognized the impact the game has had on their business skills, entrepreneurial aspirations, awareness of financial decision-making, and understanding of cause and effect in business. 

Key Findings from the Survey:

• Over 80% of college students think Venture Valley is an effective way of teaching business and entrepreneurship.
  
  
• 83% of Venture Valley college players said the game had made them feel confident about making financial decisions.
  
  
• 79% of college students said playing Venture Valley enhanced their understanding of finance.
  
  
• 93% of college students said they learned at least one business concept or skill by playing Venture Valley, primarily business management and product pricing.
  
  
• 81% of high school students said they better understand how financial decision-making is important to be successful in business.
  
  
• 72% of high schoolers said Venture Valley made them feel more confident about making financial decisions.

"These survey results continue to validate the power of gamified learning and further affirm the effectiveness of the Venture Valley game in teaching entrepreneurship and financial literacy," said the CEO of Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship, Shelley Miles. "The Venture Valley game will continue to empower this generation of students to navigate the complexities of the business world with confidence and strategic proficiencies."

Venture Valley empowers young adults to build financial and business basics by capturing their interest with a competitive esports-style multiplayer play. Players learn real financial and business skills as they grow their business from one small pet-walking enterprise to multiple businesses, including a drone factory, a dating app development firm, a robot manufacturer, and many more. Playing against others provides a fun outlet to compete with friends in positive ways while practicing financial skills and business concepts. Venture Valley also has a single-player campaign of 35 entertaining missions.

The Venture Valley game has received educational recognition from the Serious Play Awards winning the Serious Play 'Gold' Award for K-12 Education and being named the 'Best Back-to-School Secondary' solution in the Tech & Learning Awards. Additionally, Venture Valley was a finalist in the summer 2023 GEE! Award in the 'Informal Learning' category and came in second place in the 11th International Educational Games Competition at the 17th European Conference on Games Based Learning (ECGBL23).

Venture Valley Educator Resources

• A partnership with YIPPEE, the go-to marketplace for entrepreneurship education for grades K-12, brings the Venture Valley game to even more educators through its listing in the YIPPEE Exchange. The YIPPEE Exchange is an easily accessible resource for educators looking to teach entrepreneurial skills and business acumen in an engaging way. YIPPEE is a product of the Young Entrepreneur Institute (YEI) and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. It connects educators to a host of free entrepreneurial resources and one another – empowering them to share their experiences and offer lessons that build real-world skills.
  
  
• An EdWeb webinar on 'Using Video Games to Ignite the Entrepreneur Inside Every Student' lets educators discover ways to bridge classroom learning and real-world business. Educators learn how to teach and inspire students to become their own boss. Using the free, award-winning Venture Valley game, educators can easily teach business concepts in a fun way to help students better understand all the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

More information on the Venture Valley game can be found at www.venturevalleygame.com and through its social media channels:

• Twitch
• Discord
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Facebook

About the Singleton Foundation
The mission of the Singleton Foundation is to make financial competence fun and engaging for everyone by using the power of entertainment to capture attention, create change, promote entrepreneurship and to inspire individual achievement. The Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship is a 501(c)(3).

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SOURCE Singleton Foundation