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Karma Tycoon
Game URL: www.KarmaTycoon.com
Developer: 9mmedia (and Do Something)
Non-Profit: Do Something - They own the game. It was their idea from inception and they brought the idea to the game developers as well as to the funder
Release Date: December 21, 2006
Project Lead: Aria Finger
Funding Sources: A grant from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation
Sponsors/In-kind donations: JPMorgan Chase Foundation
Budget:
Overall: 287,500
Secured: 287,500
Brief Description
Karma Tycoon is an online strategy game in which players solve community problems, such as homelessness, in cities across the US. Players learn the ins and outs of the not-for-profit world as they apply for grants, receive donations and have to manage their budget efficiently. It is available free of charge at KarmaTycoon.com
Full Description
Karma Tycoon is an online strategy game in which players solve community problems, such as homelessness, in cities across the US. Players learn the ins and outs of the not-for-profit world as they apply for grants, receive donations and have to manage their budget efficiently. The players begin the game with a grant from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation but then must apply for more grants to help more people. The goal of the game is to teach young people about social entrepreneurship and financial responsibility while they�re also having fun. The game was modeled after Lemonade Tycoon, but instead of maximizing profits, players are trying to maximize their karma by helping as many people, or animals, as possible while running their homeless shelters, senior centers, youth centers, performing arts centers, and animal shelters. Once your �karmameter� reaches 100%, you receive a score for that city and you can move to tackle other issues in more difficult cities. The game can be further used as a teaching tool due to the explanations, summaries and definitions built into the game. If you want to learn about what a foundation is or how severe homelessness is in Los Angeles, this game enables you to do just that. In addition, there is an accompanying teacher curricula that educators can use in the classroom to help the students understand the issues addressed in the game. The game and curricula are available free of charge at KarmaTycoon.com
Target Audience: Middle school and high school students
Social Issues Addressed: economics, poverty, social entreprenuership,
Purpose:
The impact that we are aiming for is two-fold. First, we hope that this game raises awareness about the benefits of volunteering and helping people in your community. We hope that it sparks a dialogue among young people about whether what they can be doing to volunteer. We specifically included links to real-life not-for-profits within the game so that if a player was interested, they could easily click on an organization, and find a homeless shelter or animal shelter to volunteer at in one of the 11 cities featured in the game. Secondly, we wanted to increase educate young people about social entrepreneurship and financial responsibility. Many young people are in the dark about the not-for-profit world. They are unaware that working at a homeless shelter or a youth center is a viable option for a job and a career. We want to show them how the not-for-profit world works � how you must apply for grants, the fact that you don�t always get them, etc. In addition, we think its very important that young people have a sense of financial responsibility. The fact that using your credit card or taking out loans can get you into trouble or the realization that you need to balance your budget and manage your cash flow or you will be out of luck.
Metrics:
How? We are measuring results by the number of people who visit the Karma Tycoon site, the number of people who play the game, the amount of feedback we recieve and a survey of the people who have played karma tycoon.
What outcomes have been measured? Since launch, we have recorded over 17,000 visitors to KarmaTycoon.com. At present, I do not have the number of people who have played the game, but that is something I can get for you. We have received tons of positive feedback through our feedback form and hope that it will continue. This summer we will be conducting a survey/evaluation of everyone who played the game and use this information to better the game for a version 2.
Press Coverage:
MSNBC.com - April 9th, 2007 http://www.cnbc.com/id/15705119/ The Daily News - The (video) game of life by Tim Catts, February 26, 2007 Greenstone Radio The Radio Ritas The video game of life, a 10-minute segment about Karma Tycoon aired live on Monday, March 12th, 2007
Press Release URL:
Public Contact Information
Name: Aria finger
Email: afinger@dosomething.org
Press Contact Name:
Press Contact Email:
Game Tags: Karma, Tycoon, entrepreneurship, community service, volunteerism, philanthropy
Where you can play this game: Go to karmatycoon.com and get a free do something login and you're good to go
