Pasadena’s Singleton Foundation Game Wins National Award for Financial Literacy Impact

The Venture Valley video game, developed by the Pasadena-based Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship, has won the General Audience Game Award at the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge, organizers announced.

The award was presented during the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), held Dec. 1 to Dec. 4 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The Showcase & Challenge, hosted annually by the National Training and Simulation Association, recognizes serious games that advance real-world learning and skill development.

Venture Valley was selected for its excellence in engaging a broad, general audience through interactive financial literacy and entrepreneurship education, meeting rigorous learning standards while remaining accessible, entertaining, and impactful for players ages 12 and up, according to the press release.

The multiplayer, tournament-style simulation allows players to build businesses and compete against peers, progressing from dog walker to robotics CEO. Along the way, participants sharpen marketing skills at a pizza parlor, boost revenue through drone delivery, or outsell competitors across a wide range of in-game ventures, learning financial decision-making in a competitive environment.

“This has been another award-winning year for Venture Valley,” said Shelley Miles, CEO of Singleton Foundation. “The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge General Audience Award is an amazing honor and a great way to close out the year. It reinforces what we see every day, that game-based learning really can reach students, make financial concepts feel less intimidating, and give young people the confidence to explore entrepreneurship in meaningful ways.”

The Showcase & Challenge began in 2006 as a Team Orlando initiative led by the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. It has since become a cornerstone of I/ITSEC, the world’s largest modeling, simulation and training conference.

The General Audience Game Award adds to Venture Valley’s growing list of honors, including the Business Category prize at the Games and Learning Alliance Awards, a Silver Award from The Anthem Awards for Responsible Technology, multiple Tech & Learning Awards, Webby Award Honoree recognition, and international education honors.

Venture Valley is a free (no in-app purchases or ads) PC and mobile (iOS and Android) game. The Singleton Foundation, headquartered in Pasadena, develops the game as part of its mission of making financial competence fun and engaging for everyone by using the power of entertainment to capture attention, create change, promote entrepreneurship, and inspire individual achievement.

More information is available at venturevalleygame.com.