Banzai Plus: A New Advanced Course

Just last October we brought you Banzai Teen, our middle and high school game that had an all-new story and more content. You teachers told us you want more depth and more Banzai, and we heard you loud and clear.

That’s why we’re excited to announce Banzai Plus, a new, advanced course for teens and adults.

What Is Banzai Plus?

Thousands of students across the United States have come to enjoy Banzai Junior and Teen, our other two budgeting simulations for elementary, middle, and high schoolers. Plus takes all of the fun, quirkiness, and content from Junior and Teen and makes it more real. We cover more content, give students more obstacles, and extend the experience so students see how their spending habits pile up over time.

We recommend Plus for teachers who want to challenge their students, for teen students who have already completed Banzai Teen, or for students who show an aptitude for personal finance.

More Content

All three courses (Junior, Teen, and Plus) have students manage a budget in a simulated game. It’s like the Oregon Trail of personal finance. They face dilemmas, budgeting decisions, and minor financial crises. In Plus, students have to save up for a down payment on a home.

We cover more advanced financial topics too:

• Mortgages,
• Credit scores,
• Identity fraud, and
• Income tax.

In Teen and Junior, we tell students how much money to put in each budget category. In Plus, students take charge of their budget by looking ahead to their upcoming bills.

Grown-Up Obstacles

Plus is a hard course, and we want it to be. We want students to still have fun with the illustrations, course interface, and playful language, but we also want them to get a clear view of other financial obstacles adults have to face:

• Paying off debt,
• Life insurance,
• 401(k), and
• Personal health.

Banzai courses don’t teach kids to never spend their money — we teach them to spend their money on things that matter most. Plus teaches students that there are no right answers but trade-offs, because the right answers are seldom clear in life.

For example, adults have to figure out how they’re literally going to sleep at night. In Plus, students have to choose whether they’re going to spend money on a nice mattress.

If they choose to save money on a mattress, which might seem like the responsible decision at first, they end up having to spend money on their back problems later on.

Over Time

Junior and Teen show students how their spending helps them or hinders them from their goals over a summer. Banzai Plus is much further reaching, with a timespan of several years.

Plus gives students several paychecks to practice budgeting with. When students make a spending decision, that decision has far-reaching consequences.

When we give students a long-term view in Plus, they see how far behind or ahead they are in achieving their goal for a down payment on a home. They also see how much their spending habits affect their overall financial health. This approach helps open students’ eyes and see how impulse control over time pays off.

We’re excited for your students to try out Banzai Plus. This game has more choice, more content, and more depth. It covers the most important pillars of personal finance in today’s world, while keeping the same playful experience to make it fun and inviting. Try Banzai Plus in your class today!