Britt Moore

The Challenge

Many students arrive on campus having never built a real budget. Paychecks, refunds, and loan money feel abstract, and traditional slide decks or worksheets rarely stick. I needed a way to make budgeting feel concrete, emotional, and safe to experiment with, within the constraints of a short, self-paced module that could live inside the LMS.

Learners & Goals

The experience is designed for community college students and first-time budgeters: a mix of first-gen, working, and returning students who are comfortable with technology but often overwhelmed by money decisions.

After this experience, I wanted learners to:

• Build a simple weekly budget from a fixed income.
• Differentiate between needs, wants, and savings.
• See how small spending choices impact longer-term goals.
• Feel more in control and less anxious about managing their money.

The Solution: Game Overview

Forage Your Future reframes budgeting as a story. Learners help Nibbles, a cute squirrel, decide how to spend a limited stash of acorns across housing, food, fun, and savings while still making it through the week.

The core game loop is simple:

• Start with a set number of acorns.
• Allocate spending across categories and see Nibbles react.
• Watch budget totals update through variables and on-screen feedback.
• Adjust choices based on consequences and try to finish in a stable position.

Behind the scenes, Storyline variables track every decision, triggering different states, feedback, and endings. The result is a budgeting lesson that feels more like playing through a scenario than clicking “Next” on a traditional module.

Storyboarding & Narrative Flow

• Mapped narrative, decision points, and variables in a Whiteboard.
• Ensured each choice had meaningful, visible consequences.

Economy & Logic Tracking

• Created a balancing sheet to track income, spending, variables, and totals.
• Defined thresholds for “needs vs. wants” to drive consistent outcomes.
• Pre-planned variable behavior before Storyline development.

Visual Redesign

• Replaced early cartoon assets with a cohesive woodland aesthetic.
• Used AI-generated backgrounds to strengthen tone and emotional impact.
• Shifted away from cartoon Nibbles in cutscenes for richer storytelling.

Interactive Systems

• Built the entire game economy using Storyline variables.
• Choices update totals in real time to show budget impact.
• Nibbles’ reactions deliver immediate emotional feedback.

Iteration & Testing

• Multiple playthroughs refined clarity and pacing.
• Adjusted variable thresholds for fairness and balance.
• Added additional reactions and smoother transitions.

Accessibility Decisions

• Built a fully accessible non-interactive pathway mirroring all content.
• Designed alternative screens that preserved intent without interaction.
• Ensured compatibility with screen readers and keyboard-only users.