Each game week (8-weeks total) the attacks from the enemy camp become stronger and more complex, which requires strategic financial decisions about how to use and save game money. Players are required to make decisions with respect to which types of towers to purchase (ranging from $80-$400 with various levels of effectiveness) and how to make such purchases. Players can for instance, purchase towers with cash on hand, from their interest-bearing savings account, or through credit which accumulates interest at a rate based on the player’s credit score. At the end of each game week, players' debts are balanced against their remaining cash and either paid off (if funds are sufficient) or carried over (if funds are insufficient). The game provides regular prompts reminding players to save 10% of their weekly income. As the game progresses players begin to see connections between their level of savings and success in the final weeks (Ko, Todd & Chang, 2017).

Senior

• Financial Accounting Fundamentals, Grade 11, University/College Preparation (BAF3M)

• Accounting Essentials, Grade 11,Workplace Preparation (BAI3E)

• Financial Accounting Principles, Grade 12, University/College Preparation (BAT4M)

• Accounting for a Small Business, Grade 12, Workplace Preparation (BAN4E)

• Information and Communication Technology: The Digital Environment, Grade 11, Open (BTA3O)

Example: in both BTT and BTA, the game can be used during the 'productivity software' strand to meet the overall expectation of using "spreadsheet software to perform a variety of tasks" (Ministry of Education, 2006, p 37) . Students can play the game and use the data from their gameplay such as weekly income, expenses, savings, debt, interest on savings/debt, and assets (towers), to create a spreadsheet and practice using features such as formulas, graphs, spark lines, if statements, and more.

As the game was designed with Ontario Business Studies Curriculum and the teaching of financial literacy in mind, Save the Camp touches on four of the five critical areas of learning outlined in the both the intermediate and senior business studies curricula (Ministry of Education, 2006, p 5-6). With respect to business skills for instance, they learn to manage risk and problem solve as the game becomes more difficult from one week to the next. As far as communication in a business environment goes, they see business terminology used in context and are able to make meaning in a much more effective way than if such terms were used in isolation. With respect to digital literacy, they explore a new application and multimedia tool. Lastly, as far as financial literacy itself, they learn to manage money, practice numeracy skills with simple math, make increasingly complex financial decisions, invest their money, and learn the risks and benefits of credit.

In Examining the Effects of Game-Based Learning on Developing Youth Financial Literacy, authors Ko, Todd, and Chang discuss their findings with respect to Save the Camp as a tool for teaching financial literacy in the classroom. Analysis of student gameplay demonstrated that as each game week became more complex and difficult, students realized the importance of savings and keeping borrowing to a minimum. Not all students saved 10% of their weekly income as suggested by the in-game prompts; however they all demonstrated understanding of the need to save more heading into the final weeks of the game. Most students increased their savings on their second try of the game. In general, students demonstrated a change in their strategies and financial decision-making in game 2, which suggests an application of the insights gained from game 1. Overall, the game “met its objective of engaging students in applying concepts of income, expenses, savings, budgeting and future consequences of spending across successive gameplay sessions”. (Ko, Todd & Chang, 2017, P 24).

They must also exercise creativity by experimenting with multiple solutions before finding the appropriate one. In interacting with the game, players also utilize literacy and numeracy skills, which are a crucial element of communication (The Ontario Public Services, 2016, p 12-13). The students studied as part of the previously mentioned research project, had to critically think about and exercise creativity in purchasing and placing their towers. Such placement had to be carried out in a way that best protected their flags while staying afloat financially. In this way, students even “demonstrated the ability to manage competing priorities or decision making in game-based behaviours”. (Ko, Todd & Chang, 2017, p 18)