Morris Co. Teens Use AI-Generated Video Games To Teach Financial Literacy

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Three Morris County high schoolers are spearheading a project that uses AI-generated video games and films to teach students about finances.

Among them is Evan Schwartz, who said that he and his friends all shared a passion for financial literacy but sought a way to introduce it to students in an engaging way. They asked themselves: “How can we take something so boring, so method-based, and turn it into something that’s more fun?”

The group turned to AI with the intent to use the mediums teenagers engage with every day, like short-form video, film, and video games, as tools to teach the vital life skill that is financial responsibility.

Their goal is to take an approach to financial education “that feels less like a classroom lecture and more like ‘Netflix’ meets ‘Fortnite,’ powered by artificial intelligence.”

“If you can understand a game strategy or follow a movie plot, you can understand money,” said Evan. “We’re using AI to turn financial decisions into stories and challenges, so learning feels natural, not forced.”

Evan and his friends have entered a partnership with Gameclass, a video game education platform that offers lessons in a variety of subjects and is used by nearly 10,000 educational organizations. The site offers hundreds of video game-based lessons for students, using the award-winning IOS game “Angry Birds” to teach Newton’s First Law, to name one example.

Evan gave the example of “Mario Odyssey,” a Nintendo game featuring a variety of whimsical and fantastical worlds. Using AI, Evan and his teammates could create a lesson set within the game, depicting Mario purchasing a home in one of these worlds, and in turn introducing the concept of mortgages to students through a medium they’re already familiar with.

The idea is that the concept will be “scalable,” so that the games and lessons involved can be adapted for different age groups and educational organizations.

Additionally, Evan and friends have been in contact with lawmakers who introduced Bill A3123, which would make financial education courses a requirement for high school students in New Jersey. While the bill is still under technical review by Legislative Counsel, Evan hopes his team’s project will play a role in curriculum development once it is passed.

“This isn’t just about one town or one class,” said teammate Shubh Potdar. “It’s about changing how an entire generation learns financial skills, using the technology and media we already love.”