Designing a Decision-Making Game for Children’s Financial Literacy: Game Mechanics, OECD Alignment, and Empirical Evidence from Brazilian Schools

• Gabriel Machado Santos UFU
• Rita Maria Silva Julia UFU
• Marcelo Zanchetta do Nascimento UFU

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbgames.2026.24034

Resumo

Introduction: Financial illiteracy among children remains a global challenge, particularly in Brazil, where over 45% of 15-year-olds perform at or below the lowest proficiency level in the PISA 2022 financial literacy assessment. Objective: This paper presents JRC Game, a 2D educational platform game that teaches financial literacy to children aged 7–9 through experiential decision-making based on the OECD/INFE framework. Methodology: Using a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach, we mapped financial concepts—including income, investment, spending, credit, and gambling risk—into interactive game mechanics. The game was evaluated with 148 elementary school students from two Brazilian schools over 202 gameplay sessions using pre/post tests, behavioral logs, and interviews. Results: Participants showed significant learning gains (pre-test M = 8.39; post-test M = 12.40, p < 0.001). Behavioral data indicated a shift from gambling to investment strategies, while interviews suggested transfer of in-game learning to real-world financial reasoning and high engagement.

Palavras-chave: Financial Literacy, Game-Based Learning, Serious Games, Game Design, OECD Framework, Children Education

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