Online Game Promotes Charity

A new online game is designed to promote the business side of charity. The name of the site is DoSomething.org and the site is designed to promote volunteerism. The JP Morgan Chase Foundation worked to develop this program and market it.

"The idea behind Karma Tycoon was to put a twist on popular video and computer games in which players try to maximize profit in order to amass wealth. "

Players who register at the site can pick the type of nonprofit they would like to administer, such as an animal shelter or a homeless shelter, and establish their virtual organization in one of 12 major U.S. cities. Finger, who led the project committee that created the game, said the early response has been very positive and there are plans in the works for a 2.0 that will expand the number of cities and the variety of organizations that participants can try their hand at managing.

"A New York-based nonprofit is hoping to strike a philanthropic spark with Karma Tycoon, a new online game that aims to entertain teens while also giving them an appreciation for the business side of charitable works.
The game is the creation of DoSomething.org, a not-for-profit that aims to inspire younger generations to embrace volunteerism, which worked with the JP Morgan Chase Foundation to develop it and get it to market.
Customization considered keyKarma Tycoon, which was officially launched with the ringing of the bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange on Dec. 21, empowers teens to get involved in philanthropic endeavors by giving them freedom to choose how they want to contribute, said Finger.
Kimberly Davis, president of the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, says that in addition to generating interest in charitable deeds, the game helps player become money-wise.
“The game sort of sneaks up on you, and I think that’s the way it has to become intuitive for kids,” she says. “They don’t realize that by playing this game that they are doing math and setting up budgets.”
Teaching these skills at an early age is especially important, she says, because “young people are using credit cards at higher rates than any other population we have ever seen in any other generation.”
Davis was a strong supporter of the venture from its inception and was able to wrangle resources from other departments – including the credit card and retail divisions – to perfect the product.
Teens tested game's ‘fun factor’Her 14-year-old son and his friends also joined in as well by testing Karma Tycoon’s “fun factor.”
Karma Tycoon also provided JP Morgan Chase with an avenue to enter the brave new world of “advergaming” by embedding the company’s products into the game. That means serves the dual purpose of investing in kids while also investing in the company’s future.
“This is one example of many where we will collaborate with an organization to bring change,” she says. “Social investing is core to the business strategy and the culture of JP Morgan Chase.”
Mayer, the teenage Karma Tycoon disciple, discovered the game through an ad in a teen magazine, saying she spotted the words “nonprofit organization” and thought, “this seems positive!”
The Carolina adolescent credits the game with getting her to think more about helping those in need.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17985948/