Sheffield games studio, Peek & Poke, has created a mobile game to make pension decisions more relevant to younger audiences.
“Job Dash” has been designed to turn complex financial topics into a three-level runner game to mirror real-life career stages. It’s been developed through Lloyds Innovation Programme.
Players begin their journey in a hospitality role, collecting coins and avoiding workplace hazards, while learning how early-career decisions can impact pension pots.
The second level moves to a manufacturing environment, while finally level three features a work-from-home setting, culminating in a summary of the player’s pension ‘pots’ – each representing different jobs and savings contributions. At the end, players are encouraged to consolidate their pension pots.
“We were thrilled to be working with Scottish Widows on a project which could change the way people save for their retirement. It’s been a truly interesting and informative experience, from the initial application stage through to the masterclasses and showcase days. We’ve felt supported every step of the way,” said Cari Kirby, Head of Client Services, Peek & Poke.
“Having implemented our chosen experiment with the friendly, productive, and collaborative team at Scottish Widows, who have been highly responsive and committed to helping us deliver a final project. We have a game that’s engaging, educational, fit for purpose and aligned with our technology framework.”
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Peek & Poke worked with Scottish Widows to integrate the game with their existing analytics platform, so they could see how users engage with the game and how it drives them towards key actions like app downloads, requesting advice, and pension consolidation.
“There are almost 50,000 searches for ‘How to retire early’ every month, but only 10% of people in the UK are saving enough to retire full stop,” said a Scottish Widows spokesperson.
“We needed to start doing things differently for their customers to avoid pension poverty. It’s great to be bold and experiment with gaming and gamification to find ways to help us overcome the barriers that prevent people from engaging in their future finances.”
