Overview
Investing in property is something most people believe is beyond them, more than just beyond their wealth, more difficult than it is worth. This isn't further from the truth, most homeowners have enough wealth stored in equity to get started, we just needed to give them the means to understand the game.
That is precisely what we did. We developed the real life version of Monopoly, using real data.
The Project
Working with financial planners from Commbank and live data from RP Data, we created a true simulation of the property investment market. Players were able to purchase property for market value in areas of their choice, responding to circumstances which could arise over 15 years.
The Experience
Players are able to search across Australia, using real property data to find a suitable investment. Over the course of the game, regular events occur, much like real life. From small events to large, players initiated plumbing repairs and weighed up whether to sell due to downturn, investing where new infrastructure was being constructed.
Players could return to their simulation at any stage, watching the key milestones occur as they learn unique lessons and hone their investment credentials. Regular visitors to the site were running multiple simulations at once to test out investment strategies and attempt to beat their last score.
Results
After 9 months in market (to May 2012), nearly 4000 people had taken out an property loan. The average time people played the game was a staggering 25 minutes, with 37% of players returning to play again. Not bad for a Flash game about houses.
Investorville
Commonwealth Bank / BMF
Creds: Michie, Chandler, Flavio & Piero, Jackie, Andy, Simon, Doug, Jay, Ross and rest of the crew who sweated for this project
August 2011
Awards/Recognition
ADMA Bronze (2011) Digital - Website
ADMA Gold (2012) Financial Services
AIMIA Winner (2011) Best Financial Service
AWARD Finalist (2012) Website, B2C
CAPLES Bronze (2011)
EFFIES Gold (2012) Transformational Digital Business Platforms
EFFIES Silver (2012) Financial Services
HOT SHOP Finalist (2012) Idea of the Year Gold
Money Magazine Best Innovation (2011)
Website Interactive Media Awards (2011) Best in Class: Financial Services
