As many of you who have visited me often already know, I enjoy puzzles and games, and when games offer education and entertainment, that is double (or to the nth power of …) the value. And with my passion for numbers and my more recent need  (or rather, I know I need to) to learn more about finance, when I came upon MortgageCalcutor.org, its money games section sounded just right.

Since I have enjoyed these games for a while now and since May 17th is National Real Estate Day, I realized it is the perfect opportunity to share this cool and fun aspect of the mortgage calculator website for kids (and even older people) to have fun and get an understanding of some financial basics too, including the really basic learning to add it up!

So here is a bit about this site, starting with what it is first and then on to a couple of my favorite games (that I found myself having way too much fun with – made sure my teens did not see me :-))

Fun & Learning With Money Games and More

I am always on the lookout for new ways and new online places to play games. Of course, I have a few old favorites, including the daily Wordle and the games that follow Wordle each day! And then, I add on to my list of favorites when I discover new sites, like this one.

While MortgageCalculator.org‘s focus is to help people with various aspects of finance related to real estate, they also offer themed games around these areas plus more. Here, you can build buildings and towns, be a real estate tycoon, manage or work in grocery stores and bakeries and ice cream joints and such, work on a farm and run its day-to-day activities, and so much more.

So get your drink of choice to give you the energy to play, and explore my favorites on this site with me.

Now on to the Money Games and More

💱 CryptoCurrency aka Virtual Money Game: ₿itcoin Bubble Shooter 🫧🫧

Games with Bit Coins (or the CryptoCurrency Games) are exciting – even when I am earning “virtual virtual” money (👍🏻, dual virtual here!) – the thrill of seeing those numbers go up rapidly make you feel somehow cool – helps me understand the thrill of VR and meta-worlds where people get lost in for hours. While I am not sure if I am up for a whole virtual world, I am for now totally happy making virtual dollars and cryptocurrency via these fun games over at mortgage calculator that make me feel I have made money on the market without risking any actual moolah or even working at it. 

One of them I could play at without worrying about much is Bitcoin Bubble Shooter. Granted, this is more about being quick to click and watching that you don’t let those bubbles crowd up the space, but it is fun and like I mentioned earlier, watching those numbers pile up always thrills! It is one for all ages when you want to just enjoy playing.

👷 More than a Money Game: LEGO City Adventures Build and Protect 🏗️

Next on my list is LEGO City Adventures Build and Protect, a game that lets you help Mayor Solomon Fleck build (and protect) a LEGO city, step by step, and help earn tax revenues to expand the city and enrich it. This one is in the Real Estate games category.

Build properties, and note that you need to think wisely before you pick the properties you build. Else, you might end up with a zillion hospitals like I did when I first started playing this one!! Just imagine – a city with four hospitals and just 20 other buildings!!! And different buildings earn different tax revenues for the city, so plan smartly for a good balance of spending and earning and ensure you are keeping an eye on fires and thieves and keep the city safe as you build, and expand from downtown to the suburbs!

I built cool structures, dug for bricks, put out fires, caught thieves, and earned cool tax revenues. I bet Mayor Fleck was impressed (not at the start, but after!)

💰 Just a Money Game: Cash Back 💵

I loved Cash Back (this one is actually in the Money Games category) for the experience it gives with basic math. While the idea of actually handling cash or coins is slowly going away today, math is always a good skill to have regardless of all the tools we have in hand. A couple of other games in this category also help kids develop basic math skills so be sure to check out which one appeals to you/the kids the most.

Below is the simplest version of the game – easy levels/with tips/and change amount mentioned. Players just need to pick the right numbers of each currency value to add up to the change owed. Like I have picked out before submitting the ‘Give Change’ button for $8 below. That pencil for $2 seems is steeply priced, but then..:-)

You can choose a hard level without any provided tips and no change amount mentioned, and you might see something like this at the start.

I increasingly see the dependence of kids today on tools for even basic math skills, and recently, during an exam where there was some basic math involved and no calculators allowed, the question some of the kids had – how do we do math now? That was saddening to hear and I do believe that playing games like this can ensure kids have fun while doing math !

👨🏼‍💻One Other (Not a Money Game)🐼

Another set of games I think parents/adults will appreciate and kids will adore are the STEM themed games. These allow kids to use and apply logic to play the game. While I enjoyed each and everyone of them in this category of games, here is a glimpse at a cute one – Code Panda. Like the description for the game says on the website, Code Panda is an introduction to programming where you provide the movement codes needed to help a panda reach delicious bamboo.

You can see from the below set of screenshots of how players need to ensure they “code” correctly to help the panda get its favorite bamboo!

🕹️ And then the rest!! 🎮🎲🍨🍦🍕☕

Then there are the restaurant based games. I especially enjoyed the Ice Cream Bar game. Not sure exactly why that one over the others (like the pizza shop one or the coffee shop one), maybe

• it is my sweet tooth, or
• maybe the colors there.. or
• those quirky repeat customers that ice cream store gets!

Whatever the reason, I loved this game and am sure will appeal to many young kids (the ones who are actually the right age for it!)

Give those customers what they want. Build those ice creams the right way else you will have to trash it all.. Or lose money and lose customers (but don’t worry, they turn up again – I did say they are quirky loyal customers)

And so many more as well, like I mentioned at the start.

• There are the Farming Simulation Games where you can be a farmer or manage a farming-based business.
• If other businesses (like flower shops or a regular corporation) call out to you, there are Business Simulation Games.
• Offices and corporations means politics. And if you want to deal with those frustrations in an enjoyable way, the site offers a few fun Office Politics Games. I tried just one of these so far but preferred the others to this category myself.
• And then there are way many others as well for you to play and have fun with.

Final Thoughts on Money Games

While these games were ones I spent time with, the site offers a variety of other exciting options to explore. I encourage you to browse through their collection and find the games that speak to your interests.

Aside: Who am I kidding, I played most of the games on the site, but these are the games I am sharing with you here for they will appeal to the intended audience of young kids. Also, I will need a series of posts to share them all hence needed to select a few.

What I Loved

I appreciated that

• every game has a detailed set of instructions on the main games page. Plus a tutorial and tips after you launch the game itself.
• their games section (and the site itself) is completely ad-free, which is a breath of fresh air. So you can focus on playing the game and have fun without annoying popup ads. No ads elsewhere on the site too.
• the games are
  • well-designed and well-thought out
  • colorful and appealing
  • with no glitches or other visual or functional issues (at least so far as I played them)
• some of the games are based on characters or shows popular with kids. Examples include Powerpuff Girls, LEGO, Ben10.
• I can play the games on laptops or mobile devices easily and without issues
• I can have fun while getting something out of each game
  • be it pure fun, or
  • improved focus and observation skills, and even
  • learning other skills – math and money-wise, coding, and more
  • plus, 👍🏻, being fast on the click,
  • and etc…)

And Now, the End of This Post

Once again, I’d like to mention that May 17th is Real Estate Day. What better way to celebrate than by diving into these games that beautifully blend fun and finance?

So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to MortgageCalculator.org’s money games section and let the gaming adventure begin! Don’t forget to share your favorite games with me and also with others as well.