Shady Sam, A New Online Game From Mckinney and Next Gen Personal Finance, Takes On Predatory Lending Practices To Educate Young Borrowers

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Mar 20, 2019, 10:00 ET

DURHAM, N.C. and PALO ALTO, Calif., March 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Shady Sam, a new game created by McKinney for Next Gen Personal Finance, takes aim at predatory lenders by casting players not as victims but as sleazy stars in an 8-bit B movie. The game uses this look to drive home the perils of predatory lending and its far-reaching implications on people's credit ratings.

And though the game uses a "sleazy" lender as a gambit, the deceptive shell games of interest rates and loan terms deployed by Shady Sam are not that different from tactics used by "responsible" lenders at big banks.

Shady Sam flips the script, putting players in the role of unscrupulous lenders and using their competitiveness to drive home the danger of high-interest loans.

"Teachers describe how students feel the tugs of compassion for borrowers at the same time they experience the joy of Sam's rewards for maximizing profits," said Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance. "This game perfectly captures these dueling emotions while educating students about what to watch out for when they need to borrow money."

The game is one of a continuing suite McKinney is creating for Next Gen Personal Finance to promote better financial understanding — the first effort in the partnership was PAYBACK that helps students make wise decisions about how they'll pay for college. The game has been played over 615,000 times and was first featured in The New York Times. Other Next Gen games include Cat Insanity and STAX.

About Next Gen Personal Finance

Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), has become the "one-stop shop" for financial educators looking for high-quality, engaging curriculum to equip students with skills to thrive in their future. In just four years, NGPF's comprehensive online curricular resources and teacher training have already been used by over 12,000 teachers and over a million students in all 50 states.

About McKinney

McKinney is, pound for pound, the most effective agency in America, with a consistent 16-year record of outpunching its weight at the Effie Awards since the agency began entering in 2003. Cannes, The One Show, D&AD, ANDY, CLIO and The Webby Awards have also recognized McKinney's creativity. McKinney's clients include Sherwin-Williams, Jared, CarMax, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, MSNBC, BMW Group Financial Services, ESPN, Choice Hotels International, DowDuPont, Crocs and Next Gen Personal Finance. McKinney is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with offices in New York City.

Media Contact:
Janet Northen
McKinney
919.313.4062
[email protected]
@jnorthen

SOURCE McKinney