Testing the Game: Gamma Finance as a Design-Based Prototype for Financial Literacy in Higher Education

Gamma Finance is a physical, high-fidelity board game developed as a design-based research prototype to explore whether gamification can support financial literacy among university students. The study was piloted with 45 undergraduates at Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar in Colombia, of whom 53% were female. The game uses a hexagonal, multi-level board, and the authors position it explicitly as an exploratory, formative proof of concept rather than a definitive evaluation of learning effects.

The most notable results concern engagement and perceived value. Ninety-one percent of participants expressed interest in learning finance through the game, the average satisfaction score was 8.78 out of 10, and 72% reported changing their strategies during play. All Likert-scale learning outcomes fell within the Agree or Strongly Agree range, and participants described gains in analytical and financial decision-making. These outcomes are entirely self-reported, however, and the design, which used a quasi-experimental approach without a formal control group, does not support causal claims about improved financial knowledge or behavior.

The study's limitations are acknowledged throughout. Its reliance on a single institution, a small sample, and self-report measures constrains generalizability, and the findings are best read as evidence of feasibility and student receptiveness rather than measured educational impact. The scholarly foundation draws on design-based research methodology, financial literacy scholarship, and studies of game-based learning spanning roughly 2003 to 2025, including work on university students, Generation Z, and secondary learners. Taken together, the work positions Gamma Finance as a promising starting point for controlled, multi-institutional testing of game-based financial education in higher education.