Josh Hall Dev Diaries

Money Games – day 11

benkenob1 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:18:15 +0000

Had a meeting with Peta yesterday. Not much discussed but we did set a deadline to have three concepts ready to pitch by next Tuesday. At the moment i have two concepts that need refining and still in search for a third.

I am firstly going to do a little research on savings habits as i haven’t really touched on this matter. Hopefully i can find some inspiration today for a third concept.

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http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/10/08/10-ways-to-build-the-habit-of-saving-money/

1- Set a goal

What is it you wish to own or save for

2- Set a deadline

Set a deadline and place it in clear view for you to be reminded at least twice a day.

3- Track Expenses

Keep track of all money going out of your account.

4- Analyze Costs

At the end of the month you can work out where to save.

5 – Make a budget

calculate how much money you need for

your monthly spendings

6 - pay yourself first

Make sure you put your savings away before paying any bills

7 – Earn More, Save More

Save a fixed percentage of your income. E.g. 20%

8 – Think saving

If you have money left at the end of the month, save it.

9 – Wake up

Ask yourself why are you buying this item.

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http://www.ehow.com/how_5483445_develop-savings-habit.html

how to develop the savings habit

1 -Pay yourself first

2 – Set up specific money Goals

3 – Set up a specific Time period

4- Learn from personal finacial experts

5 – Look for Free Money, High interests Rates and No Fees

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http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/22/pf/expert/saving_habits.moneymag/index.htm

An early start on good saving habits

Children should be learn that saving is a regular part of life.

Have a safety stash that can be called on in emegency

don’t overload your kids with information.

Slowly break it down for them piece by piece so they can take time to understand and learn.

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http://www.kidspot.com.au/subsection+157+Family-Budget-Kids-and-money.htm

Family Budget

http://www.kidspot.com.au/Family-Budget-Kids-and-money-Teach-kids-about-money+1779+157+article.htm

Teach kids about money

Show them the money

show your kids what different coins and notes look like, pointing out different colour and shape

Teach kids the value of money

Use visual recogintion, e.g. shape and colour to help remind them the worth of a certain coin or note.

show them that adding coins can be worth the same as a bigger coin.

Show your kids how money works

Take the kids shopping and at the check out talk out loud what notes and coins you are handing over for the product.

http://www.kidspot.com.au/Family-Budget-Kids-and-money-How-to-choose-a-savings-account-for-your-kids+1786+157+article.htm

How to choose a savings acocunt for your kids

No monthly service fees

no monthly transaction fees

low minimum opening balance

daily interest on savings

bonus intrest

regular statments

online interaction

http://www.kidspot.com.au/Family-Budget-Kids-and-money-Pocket-money+1785+157+article.htm

Pocket Money

Pocket money can be worked out by the childs age. e.g. if child is 10 then they get $10 a week

They can have set amount or varied amount.

Should kids have to earn pocket money

you can give kids pocket money without expecting them to do anything.

Some parents give money for kids doing chores

others expect chores to be done as being part of the family and give money on special occasions. e.g. good marks, b days and x mas.

http://www.kidspot.com.au/Family-Budget-Kids-and-money-Teach-kids-to-save-money+1781+157+article.htm

Teach kids to save money

Make sure the goal is reachable. e.g. short term, dvd’s and games

Long term, school camp, guitar ect.

Keep savings progression in clear sight of the child so they may not loose track of their savings

invest money into a savings account.

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http://www.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/cr.cgi?A1=s&A14=medium&country[aus].x=97&country[aus].y=42

Change Maker

Kids game that helps them work out how much change is received once an item is purchased. change rewarded if child had the correct answer.

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So a savings habit apperently consits of

Setting your goals

setting a dealine

Tracking and analyzing expenses

Making a budget from your analysis

Putting aside a percentage of your income as soon as you get it so long as u have no debts

looking for interest giving accounts to save your money

Set your own fictitional goals

Set dealines- the faster the target is reached the more reward.

Keep track of your expenses by analzing them at the end of each round

budget your monthly allowance to reach your target goals

initiate good savings habits and be rewarded with reputation points

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Concept 3

money Sim

Tutorial stage:

start a business

given an initial starting deposit

Stage 1:

After first month look and play with analysis sliders to work out how to make more money

Stage 2:

Approach a lender for more money

set what target or goal you will reach within a certain time

in the next month, if you prove yourself you will be given a sponsor

Stage 3:

Spend your sponser Money wisley by using a budget

spend a month on the increased income

analyze the month and work out a savings plan to save enough money to open up a second store.

Stage 4:

Once you have opened 3 frachises you can branch out to a new business from scratch or continue saving to buy out a different business

Stage 5:

Own 3 different business types to start a corperation

Stage 6:

Own 3 different corperations to own a country

Stage 7:

Own 3 different countries to own a faction

Stage 8:

Own 3 different factions to own a planet

Stage 9:

Own three different planets to own a galaxy

Money Games – day 9 & 10

benkenob1 — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:48:10 +0000

After a rather relaxing Christmas holiday it is time to get back to work. Given that i have a concept document due at the end of this month, research will have to be scaled back and organization of facts will take priority.

I will endeavor to organize my research and develop three concepts.

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Update:

I have done a bit of design work in my book will i will transcribe to here.

Assortment of keywords and facts i have gathered during my research

Initial Concepts:

Game World:

notes:

Genre: rpg – possibly mmo

control your character within the game world. Build up the characters atributes and skills as well as collecting money to spend on virtual items.

“The rpg genre allows the player to fully immerse themselves in the online interaction, compared to a more casual, single use mini games approach”

Theme: Modern fantasy based on real animals

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“themes currently seen in kids media”

Fantasy

Old

Modern

Future (sci-fi)

Animals

Real

Ficticious

Real

Simulation

Music

Powers

magic

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“I choose this specific theme as i saw it was most common and successful from current kids media”

Game World:

Places found within the players world. The rpg experience will try to encapsulate all aspects on the children s banking through the virtual portal.

Virtual World

Bank

Shop

House

Exploration area, e.g. caves, fields

Mechanics and Gameplay:

point and click input

1: Character creation and customization

2: Attribute selection “affects how much in game interest they will receive”

save money until goal reached, then spend all at once
spend money as soon as you get it

well balanced saving habit, always keeping x amount in the bank and spending where necessary

“give the player x amount of points at the start to use. Depending on how they spend or save it will determine their attributes.”

3: Unleash them to the world, firstly introduce them to the way of making money.

deposit real money to your account

perform in game activities to earn money

3.1: Activities will consist of

mini games: hunting, collecting

quizzes based on: Saving, general knowledge, celebrities and current trends

Puzzles: Money, logic

“the less educational the activity the less amount of point received as a reward”

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Tween Zone

Tween Zone is a site with a collections of media and activities for tweens. Similar to the set up of the popular tween magazines, Dmag, k-zone and total girl.

The site allows a more casual approach for kids to interact with their bank account and other fun activities.

Genre: Casual

collection of mini-games, puzzles, quizzes, competitions, banking portal

Theme:

Neutral theme with no clear iconic characters, just a place for kids to have fun and learn.

Objective: The objective of Tween zone is to lure in tweens to a fun and exiting enviornment that offers fun ways to improve their savings habits through the use of interactive activities. The content found on the site will be a mixture of current media that is appealing to tweens. the educational value is found in the interactive activities such as games and quizzes. Each activity will reward the player, some more rewarding than others. Not all activities will be educational but for the most part most will have some benefit to child’s economic well being.

The real rewards are the focus for this site. They are what will drive the children to want to keep playing with the interactive activities.

World

The world the kids play in will be both the real and virtual worlds. Games and activities will be based on the virtual world but competitions and banking feedback will be based on a more real basis. Kids will receive a lot of feedback in the form of prizes, certificates and real money.

Gameplay and Mechanics:

The site would host a multitude of games and activities for kids. All activities will be rewarded in the form of online points. Points may then be used to enter competitions and if enough points are accumulated, purchase bonus interest for the month.

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MyBank

My bank is a personal space for tweens to share and learn about money.

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Core mechanics of Money Games

3.2: Deposit Money

Real money will come from:

pocket money

birthday or Christmas

other money collected

In game points ratio

1$ = 100 points

1c = 1 point

3.3: Bonus interest

Deposit $40 or more p/month and receive x% bonus interest

Deposit $50 or more on the month of December or your Birthday and x% bonus interest

1 or less withdraws for the month and receive x% bonus interest

incur bank free if withdraw taken of more than previous deposit if with the working week. “this will stop birthday money being deposited then withdrawn to receive bonus interest”

apply interest multipliers when milestones and special offers have been reached.

Milestones

keep more than $100 in your account for 3,6,12 months, receive x bonus in game points.

Prizes should be given once milestones have been hit.

Progression

Progression will be tracked using a graph. the player will be able to place goal markers on the graph to represent items they are saving for. These items may be virtual or real.

“It would be good to have a more user friendly way to track progression as i think the use of a graph is a bit old fashioned and boring”

Rewards:

It is hard to know how to reward the children other than providing bonus interest, which has already been stated in the brief.

Recommendations for rewards are: Competition entries and prizes consisting of:

Kids media e.g. dvds, games

prizes and meet and greet opportunities from bank sponsors

cash prizes, redeemable from your bank account

virtual items, usable within the virtual world

3.4 Ways to earn money

Chocolate drive savings scheme

Pocket money is children s main form of income. I should develop and easy way for parents to deposit money to the children s account. Simple transaction system with free transactions of $5 or less

Children could discuss their income to help develop their own sense of independence and self worth for future employment.

Children could agree to a fixed rate and work out what jobs are worth x amount of money

wash up 3 times a week = $3 p/week

feed pet 5 times a week = $5 p/week

mow lawn every 2 weeks 50c p/week

clean room every day 50c p/week

take out trash once a week $1 p/week

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Total earnings for the week = $10

“If a simple deposit portal were to be developed for parents to easily deposit small amounts of money to the children s account for their good work.”

How will kids learn savings habits

By placing an emphasis on the saving of virtual points to be exchanged for virtual items, children will learn to manage their money.

Bonus’s will be paid out to children who achieve consistently good saving habits. These can be found outlined in the milestones section.

The progression graph will constantly show how well the child is progressing as well as giving them tips on how to better their financial situation.

Tying in the bank account to the virtual world will allow the child s real life savings behavior transfer into the virtual world, rewarding them in both realms.

3.2: Deposit Money

Real money will come from:

pocket money

birthday or Christmas

other money collected

In game points ratio

1$ = 100 points

1c = 1 point

3.3: Bonus interest

Deposit $40 or more p/month and receive x% bonus interest

Deposit $50 or more on the month of December or your Birthday and x% bonus interest

1 or less withdraws for the month and receive x% bonus interest

incur bank free if withdraw taken of more than previous deposit if with the working week. “this will stop birthday money being deposited then withdrawn to receive bonus interest”

Milestones

keep more than $100 in your account for 3,6,12 months, receive x bonus in game points

Progression

Progression will be tracked using a graph. the player will be able to place goal markers on the graph to represent items they are saving for. These items may be virtual or real.

“It would be good to have a more user friendly way to track progression as i think the use of a graph is a bit old fashioned and boring”

3.4 Ways to earn money

Chocolate drive savings scheme

Pocket money is children s main form of income. I should develop and easy way for parents to deposit money to the children s account. Simple transaction system with free transactions of $5 or less

Children could discuss their income to help develop their own sense of independence and self worth for future employment.

Children could agree to a fixed rate and work out what jobs are worth x amount of money

wash up 3 times a week = $3 p/week

feed pet 5 times a week = $5 p/week

mow lawn every 2 weeks 50c p/week

clean room every day 50c p/week

take out trash once a week $1 p/week

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Total earnings for the week = $10

How will kids learn savings habits

By placing an emphasis on the saving of virtual points to be exchanged for virtual items, children will learn to manage their money.

Bonus’s will be paid out to children who achieve consistently good saving habits. These can be found outlined in the milestones section.

The progression graph will constantly show how well the child is progressing as well as giving them tips on how to better their financial situation.

Tying in the bank account to the virtual world will allow the child s real life savings behavior transfer into the virtual world, rewarding them in both realms.

Money Games – day 8

benkenob1 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:09:10 +0000

Should be creating my first game in flash today. It will be a simple memory matching game.

I will post my results and see if i can have it playable on the blog.

Money Game – day 7

benkenob1 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:02:42 +0000

Have not been idle as it may seem. Decided that i should look into learning Flash as the proposed game will be built using this software. I feel it is important that a designer knows the limitations and strengths of the software being used to ensure project scope is reasonable.

Have to admit though, learning to program Action script 3 has been rather fun as programming has always been my biggest fear. The instant visual response u get from using action script in flash has caught my fancy.

Just learning the basics at the moment, but should be creating my first game tomorrow. I have been following tutorials found in the E-Book “Action script 3.0 game programming university”, very good guide and i would recommend it.

I could possibly integrate some of the games and flash pages i will be doing for the tutorials into a hi-fi prototype to accompany the design document.

Money Games – day 6

benkenob1 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:04:20 +0000

Well off to a late start but have alot of articles to read through stored on delicious.com.

Definition of Tween

http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/tweenculture/g/TweenDefinition.htm

Tween

A child between the ages of 9-12. No longer a little child but not quite a teenager. They face transition from elementary school to high school, the approach and early onset of puberty, more responsibilities, more homework, exposure to behavior of older peers, sex, drugs, ext.

Tween market has huge spending power and made Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, and Harry Potter household names.

Heavy use of media.

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Teen and Tween Media Consumption

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/11569.asp

Critical skill tweens learn is to manage and work multiple media inputs.

They form part of their everyday life.

Multi-tasking is something they profess at.

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DMAG

http://dmag.com.au

Kids magizine aimed at 6-12, more focused towards boys but some articles aimed at girls

Contents found in latest DMAG

Free pot of slime
Free Alvin and the chipmunks poster
Stories on Bakugan
Fantastic Mr Fox and Robert Patterson
Interview on Taylor Swift and review on the alien Planet 51
Awesome Pranks
Review of Richard Hammond’s new show on ABC3
Win a PS3, Wii and games, movie tickets

What’s Hot section of the website:

“i will try and put each media into a genre for categorization later”

Film

Planet 51- aliens

Tooth Fairy – fantasy, modern

The Princess and the Frog – modern fairy tail

Twilight: New Moon – modern fantasy

Fantastic Mr Fox – animals

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squekquel – animals

Games

Avatar – Wii – franchise

Eye Pet – PS3 – animals

Planet 51 – console – aliens

Video

Coraline

Ice Age 3 – animals

Hannah Montana – Series 2 – teen drama

Link to online games

Top Trumps Live Cricket – sport

RuneScape – fantasy rpg

Dragon Fable – fantasy rpg

Rhino Feeder – animals

Trogdor – franchise

YuGiOh online Manga – franchise, fantasy

Alexander Demo

Bubbles – casual

Maggots – animals, casual

Lawn Pac

Pixie roundup – fantasy

Baby splat

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Disney Girl

www.disney.com.au/disneygirl

“Celeb Stuff” tab

Fun facts on Jennette Mccurdy from the tv show. iCarly

Cool tip tab

six friendship tips from the stars

Quotes on friendship from young celebrities

Emma Watson “harry potter”

Raven-Symore “Raven Star”

Amanda Bynes “Hairspray star”

Vanessa Hudges

Demi Lovato

Hayden Panettiere “Heroes”

Top Advice tab

“Got a friendship problem? Let a celeb fix it”

“Things to check out”

Wizards of Waverly Place

Jonas Brothers

“very focused on gossip, fashion and general knowledge of teen idles”

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KZone

www.kzone.com.au

KZone magazine

Zelda, Alvin and the chipmonks, planet 51, ben 10, star wars

Game Zone tab

game reviews

Game cheats

New games

game trailers

K-Kash (KZone’s own browser based game)

K-Kash space fleet

space flying game

beat the final boss for K-Kash

beat high score by destroying the most enemies

K-Racer

racing game

race around tracks and beat high scores

K-Kash

buy kzone to get free k-card, has serial number to register online and be eligible for k-kash vault.

Open your k-kash account, hunt for codes found in the magazine and on the online games to enter into your account

for every correct code you score k-kash ponts.

Head to the vault to spend k-kash on competition registration

competition tab

Transformers comp,

dinosaur king

win games and dvd’s

fun stuff tab

Quizzes

reviews

celeb interviews and reviews: Jack black, stars of ben 10, other movies, wrestlers, Batista, justin timberlake, john cena

What’s Hot

toon town catagory

ben 10 – future fantasy

bakugan – future animal fantasy

Clone Wars – future fantasy

Astro Boy – future fantasy

Toys

Lego space police – future fantasy

ninja turtles wii game – action modern fantasy

rubiks 360 edition “new rubiks cube” – puzzle

Hot wheels color shifters

Batman: the brave and the bold figurine – action modern fantasy

collectables

wood worx dino kits

build a bot

lego

nintendo DSi

your space tab

Did you know section

page of interesting facts about nature

Dares and Pranks section

page full of dares and pranks. instructions on how to do them

Animal House section

articles on animals

Sweat it

Extreme factor

news, reviews and interviews of extreme sports

Hall of fame

news, reviews and interviews of sports

wicked Wheels

news, reviews and interviews of cars

WWE

news, reviews and interviews of wrestling

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Total Girl

www.totalgirl.com.au

very pink

Competitions tab

win tickets to taylor swift concert

win dance DVD pack

win Eye pet

win Barbie and the three musketeers

Rock it

Hanah Montana

Coraline

Nintendo DSi

Moxie girlz artitued

disney sing it: pop hits, wii

Girly Nails

Go girl!

Glow dome

Barbie Dream beach house

Shimmer and Shine cosmetic tin collection

U-Sing

Strawberry shortcake

Littlest pet shop

Charm Girls

iCarl, create your own iCarly webisodes,

Boost mobile sneaker speaker pack

Beados mixi chix fasion house

Wammy 200 peice deluxe set

Entertainment tab

celeb Galleries

take fasion inspiration from your fave stars

teen coice awards

Jonas Brothers

Hanah montana movie premier

Celeb goss

Lady gaga has 20 wigs

Miley’s $12 outfit

Jessica Biel believes in aliens

Taylor swift will play in the next super girl

Zac Efron

Star talk

interviews with the latest young stars

Games

Bucks flying adventure

Ice age 3 flying game, avoid the obstacles

ice age 3 bubble game

Total girl quizz game

song Lyrics

Trendsettertab

articles on fasion and beauty

Games tab

Featured quiz: Hannah Montana quiz

Ice Age 3 mini games

Money Games – day 5

benkenob1 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:19:27 +0000

Started collecting and storing articles on delicious.com.

Leveled up twice in COD Modern Warfare 2.

unproductive i know….

Money Games – day 4

benkenob1 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:21:07 +0000

Well i did have a list of things to do for today but Nichole showed me some interesting websites about tweens. I probably should look at our target market a little more indepth to find out what will be appealing to them.

So here are my notes for the following websites.

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http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/issues_teens_marketing.cfm

Special Issues for Tweens and Teens

The “Tween Market”

tween market age (8-12)

children 11 and older don’t consider themselves as children anymore.

treating pre-adolescents as independent, mature consumers, marketers been successful in removing parents from the picture, leaving tweens vulnerable

youth market willing to pay top dollar to be cool.

Packaging girlhood and boyhood

tweens are bombarded with limiting media stereotypes on what it is to be a girl or boy.

media messages tell that

girls are mini-fashionistas who are sexy and obsessed with boys, friends, shopping, pop starts and celebrities.

focus of ads are, beauty, sexuality, relationships and consumerism.

Boys are independent, strong and preoccupied with sports, games , adventure, cars, music and hanging out with friends.

media focus on boys being “tough guys” with emphasis on physical apperance.

action hero figurines have gained more muscular body shapes. e.g. star wars, G.I. Joe.

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http://www.city-journal.org/html/8_4_a1.html

Kay S. Hymowitz

Autum 1998

Tweens: Ten going on sixteen

“Down came the posters of adorable puppies and the drawings from art class; up went the airbrushed faces of Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet. CDs of Le Ann Rimes and Paula Cole appeared mysteriously, along with teen fan magazines featuring glowering movie and rock-and-roll hunks with earrings and threatening names like Backstreet Boys”

Tweens have an even more wobbly sense of them selves than teens and rely heavily on hearsay of other.

toy manufactures for girls toy dolls has shifted their target audience from birth to 14, now it it is birth to 10.

boys also are aware of self image. brand name clothes become the new cool.

children are wearing and using more mature material because their parents buy it for them.

Latchkey kids: kids who are given responsibility of themselves without parental supervision.

every move and action is judged by their peers, to see if it’s cool or not.

Fantasy of sophistication

girl power and independence. no rules and a chance to say and do how they will

Cox Internet Saftey Study

90% of tweens have used the internet

their online presence doubles or triples when reaching tween age group

34% have personal profile site

42% spend less than an hour

48% spend 1-2 hous a day on the internet

girls are more active and social online than boys

one in five post personal info

the older they get, the more they don’t tell their parents what they do online

71% of 11-12 have personal email, 42% of 8-10 have email

50% of 11-12 have their own phone, 19% of 8-10 have a phone

41% of 11-12′s have IM screen name vs 15% of 8-10′s

34% of 11-12s have a profile on a social networking site vs 9% of 8-10s

IM screen names are more common among girls

COX Communications Tween Internet Safety Study

2% of tweens say their parents do nothing to limit their internet use

70% are told to log off or limit the number of hours online

51% of tweens are not permitted to access the internet in their room

COX Communications Tween Internet Safety Study

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Roy & Morgan

Young Australians Survey

2005

2.2 million children aged between 6-13

There is a declining fertility rate resulting in youth market becoming smaller and more competitive

Tweens are kids who aspire to be like teens

They exhibit increasingly sophisticated tastes

They are marketing savvy

typically live a multi-tasking life in a media saturated envionment

avid consumers

heavily influenced by the contemporary cult of celebrity and technological freedom

significant aspect is they are technologically savvy

technology is simply a means to an end

Financial Status

have increasingly large amount of money to spend

have older parents who intern have higher incomes

smaller family sizes means more to spend on single child

Mothers work more and families have more than one income

more money to spend on children, increase in guilt factor for not being around the children, increase on buying treats.

60% of households are more likely to be big spenders than those without children

1999-2003

- five new kids magazines

- Branded Sunday lifouts

- Pay TV audience increase

- Increase in internet usage amongst kids

over 88% of boys and girls 10-13 receive money each week.

ages 10-11 receive average of 7.98 a week

ages 12-13 receive 12.38 a week

60% of childrens bank accounts are commonwealth bank

1% was suncorp

3% NAB

6% ANZ

%8 Credit union

Money Games – day 3

benkenob1 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:18:39 +0000

well i have just seen that most of my work on Monday has been lost so i may have to do a quick re cap of what i learnt.

I analyzed this list of online kids games and interactive websites.

Fun

Dragon Fable
imvu
newpets
Rune Scape

Money
Rich Kid Smart Kid
Cashflow
iThryv
Stage Coach Island
Monopoly

using this criteria

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s
Idea’s

Some trends i found were that most of the mmorpg style games involved the player developing some sort of savings habit to save for power ups, e.g. weapons and armor.

Also theme’s such as fantasy seem to be popular with this age group.

mini games incorporated into an overall theme work really well.

There are some articles Peta has uploaded to google groupswhich i should look at. Once again i will be using this page to keep notes.

Towards a Framework for Design Guidelines for Young Children’s Computer Games

Usability Guidelines

Interaction cycle

High level planning: Children have to understand the main goal

Translation: how they have to achieve the goal. e.g. buy one ingredient you have to select it, put the right amount of money on the counter by clicking each coin and dragging it, and ring the bell to indicate that they are ready.

Physical Action: clicking and dragging, user input.

Feedback: user feed back for all actions

Evaluate: did the previous action contribute to achieving the goal

Challenge makes games fun

Create challenge by making any of the phases in the interaction cycle difficult.

Literature Review in Games and Learning

Skill development in the areas of

Strategic thinking

Planning

Communication

Application of Numbers

Negotiating skills

Group decision-making

data-handling

current problems with edutainment

Games are too simplistic compared to competing games

tasks are to repetitive

tasks are poorly designed and don’t support progressive understanding

range of activities is severely limited, usually concentrates on one skill

target audience becomres aware that it is being coerced into learning

—

Children like to learn as long as they have a sense of their own progression and how it is relevant.

design rules

Malone (1980)

player should be able to increase or decrease the level of challenges faced

feedback of the performance of the player

broad range of challenges and difficulty levels

Task that we can complete

ability to concentrate on task… don’t break flow

Task has clear goals

task provides imediate feedback

deep but effortless involvement… emersion

exercising a sense of control over our actions

concern for self disappears during flow, but sense of seft is stronger after flow activity

sense of duration of time is altered.

p21

learning objectives often have little meaning to children.

Hide the objective within an activity e.g. exploration and discovery.

Where in the world is carmen san diego teaches children geography through the task of being a detective.

p23

learning through doing, simulations

educational simulations (as apposed to tutorial and drill-and-practice forms)

Habgood Phd

p10

learning content is better integrated with a game when it is embodied within the rule-systems that make the game fun, rather than the fantasy context.

Intrinsic Definition: belonging to a thing by its very nature: the intrinsic value of a gold ring.

Deliver learning material through parts of a game that are most fun to play so long as they don’t break flow or the original experience.

Embody learning material withing the game world and the player’s interaction.

Malon

Heuristics for Designing Enjoyable User Interfaces: Lessons from Computer Games

Heuristics for Designing Enjoyable User Interfaces

1: Challenge

a: Goal,: Is there a clear gol in the activity and is there feedback to show the user how close to the goal they are

b: Uncertain outcome: Is the goal unreachable.

i: Does the activity have a variable difficulty level

ii: Does the activity have multiple level goals?

2: Fantasy

a: Does the interface embody emotionally appealing fantasies?

b: Does the interface embody metaphors with physical or other systems that the user already understands?

3: Curiosity

a: Does the activity provide an optimal level of informational complexity?

i: Does the interface use audio and visual effects

ii: Does the interface use randomness in a way that adds variety without making tools unreliable?

iii: Does the interface use humor appropriately?

B: Does the interface capitalize on the user’s desire to have “well-formed” knowledge structures?

—

Things i would like to focus on now would be to clearly define the purpose of the proposed interaction and state what features will be found in the final product.

“Design and develop new interactive experiences that allow children, with the support of their parents, to develop savings behaviors”

Developing Savings Behaviour Seams to be the main focus of what i will design.

How will i capture the childrens interest? Use a fun and exciting theme, relevant to the target audience

How will they interact with the online activity? Through a browser based portal, web login with email verification seams to be acceptable with this demographic. Web login with limited access perhaps.

How will they develop savings behaviors? Through the collection of online rewards. Rewards multiplied for good savings behavior.

How will i keep the children interested? Develop a theme or game world which will evolve with their age and account type.

How will it market itself? Reward the children for promoting the online interaction to their friends.

———————————————————————————————————————-

http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=3364

The top fifty console games of the 2000s

I will highlight games which i think would fall into the demographic and platform we are aiming for

Wii Sports	Nintendo	Wii	Nov-06	44.50m
2	Wii Play	Nintendo	Wii	Dec-06	22.70m
3	Nintendogs	Nintendo	DS	Apr-05	22.09m
4	New Super Mario Brothers	Nintendo	DS	May-06	18.47m
5	Wii Fit	Nintendo	Wii	Dec-07	17.89m
6	GTA: San Andreas	Take Two	PS2	Oct-04	17.78m
7	Brain Training	Nintendo	DS	May-05	17.33m
8	Pokemon Gold/Silver	Nintendo	GB	Nov-99	~17.00m
9	Pokemon Diamond/Pearl	Nintendo	DS	Sep-06	16.79m
10	Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire	Nintendo	GBA	Nov-02	15.40m
11	Mario Kart Wii	Nintendo	Wii	Apr-08	15.38m
12	Gran Turismo 3: A Spec	Sony	PS2	Apr-01	14.87m
13	Mario Kart DS	Nintendo	DS	Nov-05	14.56m
14	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	Take Two	PS2	Oct-02	14.20m
15	Brain Age 2	Nintendo	DS	Dec-05	13.87m
16	Grand Theft Auto III	Take Two	PS2	Oct-01	11.60m
17	Animal Crossing: Wild World	Nintendo	DS	Nov-05	10.67m
18	Pokemon Yellow	Nintendo	GB	Sep-98	~10.60m
19	Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green	Nintendo	GBA	Jan-04	10.49m
20	Gran Turismo 4	Sony	PS2	Dec-04	9.65m
21	Halo 3	Microsoft	X360	Sep-07	9.40m
22	Super Smash Brothers Brawl	Nintendo	Wii	Jan-08	8.51m
23	Halo 2	Microsoft	Xbox	Nov-04	8.46m
24	Super Mario Galaxy	Nintendo	Wii	Nov-07	8.01m
25	Final Fantasy X	Square-Enix	PS2	Jul-01	7.95m
26	Super Mario 64 DS	Nintendo	DS	Nov-04	7.31m
27	Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare	Activision	X360	Nov-07	7.21m
28	Super Smash Brothers Melee	Nintendo	GC	Dec-01	7.08m
29	Mario & Sonic at the Olympics	Sega	Wii	Nov-07	6.97m
30	Mario Kart: Double Dash	Nintendo	GC	Nov-03	6.96m
31	Grand Theft Auto IV	Take Two	X360	Apr-08	6.95m
32	Need for Speed: Underground	EA	PS2	Nov-03	6.49m
33	Mario Party 8	Nintendo	Wii	May-07	6.47m
34	Halo: Combat Evolved	Microsoft	Xbox	Nov-01	6.43m
35	Pokemon Crystal	Nintendo	GB	Dec-00	6.39m
36	Need for Speed: Undergr. 2	EA	PS2	Nov-04	6.38m
37	Pokemon Emerald	Nintendo	GBA	Sep-04	6.34m
38	Super Mario Sunshine	Nintendo	GC	Jul-02	6.28m
39	Big Brain Academy	Nintendo	DS	Jun-05	6.09m
40	Gears of War	Microsoft	X360	Nov-06	5.87m
41	Mario Party DS	Nintendo	DS	Nov-07	5.59m
42	Grand Theft Auto: LCS	Take Two	PSP	Oct-05	5.58m
43	Metal Gear Solid 2	Konami	PS2	Nov-01	5.58m
44	Grand Theft Auto IV	Take Two	PS3	Apr-08	5.53m
45	Kingdom Hearts	Square-Enix	PS2	Mar-02	5.50m
46	Super Mario Advance	Nintendo	GBA	Mar-01	5.49m
47	Super Mario Advance 2: SMW	Nintendo	GBA	Dec-01	5.46m
48	Mario Kart: Super Circuit	Nintendo	GBA	Jul-01	5.45m
49	Final Fantasy IX	Square-Enix	PS1	Jul-00	5.30m
50	The Legend of Zelda: TP	Nintendo	Wii	Nov-06	5.26m

Nintendo seem to be dominating the charts, mainly with their Mario franchise, pokemon and wii series of games.

The combination of action-adventure with a very strong theme, main character/s seem to do well

———————————————————————————————————————

Important things i learned today

Literature Review in Games and Learning

current problems with edutainment

Games are too simplistic compared to competing games

tasks are to repetitive

tasks are poorly designed and don’t support progressive understanding

range of activities is severely limited, usually concentrates on one skill

target audience becomres aware that it is being coerced into learning

p21

learning objectives often have little meaning to children.

Hide the objective within an activity e.g. exploration and discovery.

–

Habgood Phd

p10

Deliver learning material through parts of a game that are most fun to play so long as they don’t break flow or the original experience.

——————————————————————————————–

Tasks for tomorow

Research how to teach savings behaviours

Compile list of ideas for

Theme: type of game world or space that connects all the challenges together

Visual style: To match the theme and be attractive to target audience. What styles are popular atm, types of characters

Challenges: Challenges that will reflect savings behaviors

Mix and match ideas to come up with three uniquely different concepts to pitch by next week.

Money Games – Day 2

benkenob1 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:09:40 +0000

Time to embark on the magical journey of Money Games.

So far i have learned only the Commonwealth bank has any sort of good online interaction for kids.

Their system splits the age groups into three and focuses on small games and activities, some with educational value others not so much. The main competition is Rule, a web site dedicated to 10-13 yrs. Site contains some more mature games and activities compared to the Dolarmite site as well as a rather smart sandbox game called Discovery Island. Discovery Island asks the basic question, “if you were on a deserted island, what would u take with you?”. Players have $500 to spend on items which will be used on the island.

…”emergent, sandbox gameplay seems to work with this audience”

Today i will be looking at online games for kids made for my target audience. My list of games websites to look at is.

Teen Second Life
Dragon Fable
imvu
newpets
Rune Scape
Animal Crossing
Club Penguin
Habbo

But i will be open to any other games i come across.

I will be analyzing these sites by trying to answer a series of questions i have made for my self.

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s

Teen Second Life

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s

Dragon Fable

Genre: mmorpg

What type of interaction is involved: login, email, point and click adventure

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

It give a simple mmorpg experience but but on a large scale for this simple design

Is there any educational aspect to the game:

savings habit

Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords

Visual style

cartoon, 2d

Theme

medieval, comical

Pro’s

Great simple mmorpg with some good comical elemets. Great use of mini games for battle phases

Con’s

a little too simple for your average mmo user

Ideas

Use mini games e.g. fox and the hound for a battle stage.

imvu

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s

newpets

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s

Rune Scape

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s

Animal Crossing

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s

Club Penguin

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s

Habbo

Genre:

What type of interaction is involved:

Does the game seem fun and if so why?:

Is there any educational aspect to the game:
Would parents allow their children to play this game for extended periords
Visual style
Theme
Pro’s
Con’s

Money Games – Day 1

benkenob1 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:13:27 +0000

Well officially it is the 3rd day of work but the first two days were severely unproductive due to illness.

Research conducted today consisted of analyzing other competitor banks as well as looking into online kids games.

When analyzing the kids banks i have been looking for

How the account will appeal to the parents
How the account will appeal to the kids
On line interactivity for kids
Visual aesthetics of the site

Here is a break down of what i have found

National Australia Bank:

NAB offers a Smart Junior savings account for persons under the age of 18.

“NAB Smart Junior Saver is a great way to introduce your kids to the benefits of saving. With unlimited deposits, no account fees and branch access, it’s ideal for children under 18 to save their pocket-money, gifts or wages. To encourage a savings habit, bonus interest is paid if at least one deposit and no withdrawals are made in the same month*”

(http://www.nab.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/nab/nab/home/personal_finance/5/2/3)

How the account will appeal to the parents

The web site NAB Smart Junior savings account web page is defiantly aimed at the parents as there is no pages designed for kids. The benefits of the account are laid out in point form as to be easily read.

The benefits are as listed

Bonus interest paid when at least one deposit and no withdrawals are made in the same month*
A free money box so there is a fun place to keep their savings between deposits
No transaction or account keeping fees while they are under 18 years old
Unlimited deposits
Competitive interest paid on every dollar, with interest calculated daily and paid monthly
No minimum or opening balance requirements
Access at any NAB branch, or through NAB Internet Banking or NAB Telephone Banking
An account with a 5 star rating for superior value from CANNEX, an independent industry rating body

How the account will appeal to the kids

There is no real notable interest for kids with this account.

They do receive a free money box to keep there savings as well as receiving bonus interest when one deposit, with no withdraws are made within a month.

On line interactivity for kids

I couldn’t see any form of interactivity for kids within the site. It seams it was intended for parental use only.

Visual aesthetics of the site

The site is rather bland with a basic red, black and white colour scheme. The layout is very functional and rather easy to use but i don’t find it visually appealing.

Josh Rating: 1 / 5

Side note:

I did come across a page that was aimed at helping aspiring ballet performers with nab accounts.

http://www.nab.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/nab/nab/home/About_Us/25/NAB+Ballet+mini+Site/Ballet+Phase+2/Ballet+Home

The competition seemed to be aimed at young girls but the page was to be read by the parents.

ANZ:

ANZ offers a Kids Progress Savings account for persons under the age of 18.

“An ANZ Progress Saver account is suitable for those under 18 years of age. With an ANZ Progress Saver account, you simply make one deposit of just $10 or more and make no withdrawals in any month and you’ll earn bonus interest that month! (The month commences on the account opening date)And if you’re under 18 years, your account will be free of account service fees and transaction fees. (Non-ANZ ATM fees may apply)”

(http://www.anz.com/australia/persbnk/prdsrv/savings/kidsProgressSaver.asp)

How the account will appeal to the parents

The kids progress savings page has important information plainly listed:

For customers under 18 years the account is free of account service fees and ANZ transaction fees. (Non-ANZ ATM fees may apply).
Bonus or tiered interest Earn interest on your savings with the opportunity to earn bonus interest by simply making one deposit of $10 or more and no withdrawals per
month1. View current bonus interest rates.
Access to funds For parents and guardians who are Trustees of their child’s account:
Access to funds via ANZ ATMs, ANZ Phone Banking, ANZ Internet Banking and ANZ branchesFor customers aged 12 to 17 with a sole or joint account:
Access to funds via ANZ ATM, ANZ branches, view only ANZ Internet Banking and balance enquiries via ANZ Phone Banking
Ability to deposit regular funds Yes, for example your parent/guardian can deposit your pocket money or other income directly into your account regularly via periodical payments or recurring payments (via ANZ Internet Banking).
Statements Quarterly.
Option to request monthly from open date, end of month, or half yearly.

Additional features
No monthly Account Service Fee
A savings graph on each statement to help track savings progress
No fee for periodical payments or recurring payments (via ANZ Internet Banking) from other ANZ Accounts
No EFTPOS

The kids page Fortune Island has information for parents who may be play or supervising their children whilst playing on the island. The information for parents is mostly tips and reminders about the features of the kids account.

How the account will appeal to the kids

There is nothing really tangible for the kids apart from a savings graphs which there parents can show them on their monthly statement.

The kids progress savings page has link to a special kids site called Fortune Island.

The purpose of the site is to provide a less boring way of conveying information to kids about money, banking and how to save. There is a section that allows kids to play with money and practice saving habits.

On line interactivity for kids

The page offers limited interactivity for kids and is split up over three sections.

Be a money saver – This section goes into detail about general banking, how to grow your money and how to open an account.

Explore money – This section talks about how money has evolved over the ages.

Play with money – This section allows the kids to play two mini games involving money

The Toy box mini game is really a savings calculator. It asks the child how much money they own and how much they earn a week. Then it asks them to choose a toy they wish to save up for. The toys must have some average price as the savings calculator computes how much time it would take the child to save for the chosen toy.

The Super Saver Quiz ask the child a series of questions about their saving and spending habits. Depending on the answers the quiz will confirm with the child that they have good saving plan and are a super saver.

Visual aesthetics of the site

When the site is activated it appears as a pop up page that has been reduced to a square sized space.

The site looks very dated and simply put together. There is no real complex interactivity and the mini-games aren’t really games at all. The colour scheme seems to be based island beach. No significant main characters are evident, just a collection of happy people on an island. There are links for parents back to the main ANZ site for more information .

It also seems it was made using java script. Had no problems loading or running the site. No external installer needed. ”was running opera 10 at the time”

Josh’s Rating: 2 / 5

Victorian Teachers Credit Union

Does have kids account but no kids interaction

How the account will appeal to the parents

Highly competitive, tiered interest rates.

No account keeping fees.

No transaction fees

Funds available at anytime.

No minimum balance requirements.

Internet and Phone Banking access.

Interest calculated daily.

Interest credited quarterly

Available to Members aged 0-17 years old.

How the account will appeal to the kids

N/a

On line interactivity for kids

N/a

Visual aesthetics of the site

N/a

Bank West

Does have kids account but no kids interaction

How the account will appeal to the parents

The Bankwest Kids’ Bonus Saver account offers Australia’s highest rate on kids’ savings and plenty more:
Huge 7% p.a. bonus interest rate.
Bonus interest paid each month when $25-$250 is deposited and no withdrawals are made.
No account fees.
Fast parent/guardian access to funds via phone and online banking.

“money magazines top kids savings account three years running”

How the account will appeal to the kids

N/a

On line interactivity for kids

N/a

Visual aesthetics of the site

N/a

Wespac

Does have kids account but no kids interaction

How the account will appeal to the parents

You can use a Debit MasterCard ® to get instant access to your funds at ATMs throughout Australia and overseas, and at merchants that have EFTPOS within Australia. You can use your Debit MasterCard ® on the Internet or over the phone to purchase goods and services and pay bills using BPAY ®. You can also use your Debit MasterCard ® to make purchases overseas wherever you see the MasterCard logo.

How the account will appeal to the kids

N/a

On line interactivity for kids

N/a

Visual aesthetics of the site

N/a

Commonwealth Bank

The commonwealth bank seem to have the best set up in terms of connecting with school aged children. There seams to be three different site dedicated to the different age groups. For under 10′s there is Dolarmite, 10-13 is Rule and for 13-17 there is Pi. The two sites i am mainly interested in are Dolarmite and Rule. both stray into the demographic of Money Games. More focus will be put on Rule as that account is suited more to the age group needed.

How the account will appeal to the parents

There are actually 2 accounts available to kids, the Youth Saver and Stream Line account.

Youth Saver
Earn bonus interest

Reward yourself with bonus interest. Just make one deposit each calendar month, and no withdrawals, and you’ll earn extra interest on top of your regular interest.

Save on fees

There’s no monthly account fee and no withdrawal fees when you use Commonwealth Bank ATMs and branches.

Regular savings plan

Set it up and forget about it. A regular savings plan takes care of your savings, so you don’t have to worry. You set the amount, you set the date. Plus you can change your plan when you like, so you won’t feel locked in.

Bank at school

It’s never too early to start saving. Primary school students can bank at school if their school participates in our Student Banking program. Get in touch with your principal for details.

Cash when you need it

The Commonwealth Bank has the largest ATM network of any bank in Australia, so no matter where you find yourself, there’s a good chance you’ll also find one of our conveniently located ATMs.

24-hour banking

For the added convenience of after-hours banking you can also make use of NetBank and telephone banking 24 hours a day, 7 day a week.

Travel light

Hit the road without travellers cheques or the security worries of excess cash. Your Youthsaver account gives you global access to your money. Just look for the Maestro EFTPOS or Cirrus and Visa Plus ATM signs. Fees apply.

Under 16s – ask your parents

If you’re under 16, you’ll need the permission of your parent or guardian to open an account and also to have a Keycard for it. If mum or dad does your banking for you, they can link their Commonwealth Bank accounts to yours, making it easy to access. They can also provide you with enquiry-only NetBank access so you can check your savings online.

Keeping in touch

We’ll send you a statement in the mail every six months so you can keep track of your savings’ progress. If you’re a regular user, statements come with heaps of games and ideas on how you can get your savings flying.

Stream Line

A flexible everyday account with no monthly account or withdrawal fees* while you are under 18, and easy-to-read, six-monthly statements.

Streamline also offers the following convenient options (parental or guardian approval is required to open a Streamline account if you are under 16):
Keycard access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through the largest bank-operated ATM network in Australia, and the EFTPOS network.

Account access via Telephone Banking and NetBank, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Full access to your money via the Bank’s Internet Banking service. Pay off your mobile phone bill at any time, from your computer.

How the account will appeal to the kids

Bonus interest

Every February and August your account statement will be mailed to you, so you’re updated on how much you’re saving.

How to read your statement
Rule

A Youthsaver account gives you access to Rule. You’ll get the free Rule info that is mailed with your account statement. It features great games and exclusive competitions!
Get top ups

With your parent’s permission you can have full access to your Youthsaver account via NetBank, Telephone Banking (excluding BPAY®) or ATM.

Alternatively, if your mum/dad want to do your banking for you, unless you already have full access to your account, they can arrange to have full access via NetBank, Telephone Banking (excluding BPAY®) or ATM.

They can also arrange NetBank Enquiry Only access for you so you can check your balances online.

On line interactivity for kids

Rule

Rule is ONLY for 10-13 year olds who have Youthsaver or Streamline accounts with the Commonwealth Bank.
Rule is about what’s real.
Getting ahead with your money.
And making the most of what you’ve got.
Rule gives you:
Exclusive access to great promotions and special offers.
The cool Rule insert that’s mailed with your account statement in February and August. It features tips for saving and news of our latest competitions.
Not least, there’s this Rule website to keep you clued in!

diagram showing how interaction with the bank works.

Under the interaction tab there are three interactive pieces.

Design your own wallpaper

Make your own wallpaper

Game

There is also a sandbox style game called discovery island

Discovery Island

Discovery Island is a sandbox game aimed at teaching kids to earn, save and spend money wisely. You are firstly asked a series of questions for login information, “gender” alters what character u have. The story goes, your plan is about to crash and leave u stranded on a island all by yourself. You have $500 to spend on essential items that will help u kill time until u are rescued.

Once you are on the island u can intereact with your purchased items and use them to make more items. e.g. fishing pole will catch fish which u can sell and gain more money. The game play is similar to the iphone app, Pocket God.

Interaction

Visual aesthetics of the site

N/a

Under 21s earn up to 5.45% p.a. interest paid monthly
In addition to the standard variable interest rate of 0.50% p.a., earn 1.55% p.a. for 4 months on accounts opened between 8 December 2009 and 11 January 2010.
Earn 3.40% p.a. variable bonus interest monthly when you make a deposit of any value and no withdrawals in the month 1
Option to add Debit MasterCard ®2
Optional paperless eStatements
Youth package available.
How you can access your money
ATM
EFTPOS
Debit MasterCard ® or Handycard
Telephone Banking
Online Banking
Branch
BPAY ®.
Add a Debit MasterCard ® to your account 2You can use a Debit MasterCard ® to get instant access to your funds at ATMs throughout Australia and overseas, and at merchants that have EFTPOS within Australia. You can use your Debit MasterCard ® on the Internet or over the phone to purchase goods and services and pay bills using BPAY ®. You can also use your Debit MasterCard ® to make purchases overseas wherever you see the MasterCard logo.