PAYBACK is an online game that teaches kids how much college really costs — BEFORE they get there. And because we know money isn’t at the top of their mind, the game captures their attention by tying its financial lessons to the things they ARE thinking about when it comes to college: where they’ll apply, who their roommate might be, how they’ll decorate their room, stuff like that.

PAYBACK teaches teens to see college as an investment with benefits and risks. But it’s not just about money. Meters for focus, connections and happiness challenge players to make the best choices, not just the cheapest.

We launched PAYBACK by introducing it to Next Gen Personal Finance’s fan base of financial literacy teachers and counselors. Because most classrooms supply students with either Chromebooks or iPads, we optimized the game for those devices. We created customized share copy for each outcome, so students could share their results and provide organic reach for the game. And Next Gen launched an essay contest that gave over 150 scholarships to students who shared how playing PAYBACK changed their perspective on paying for college.

Without a penny in paid media, PAYBACK has been played over 250,000 times, with over 2,000 plays every weekday. Average playtime is 14 minutes and 75% of people who hit “start” play the game all the way through. The game was featured in The New York Times, on PBS, NPR and on Metafilter.

Teachers are reporting that students are asking to stay after class to continue playing the game. And, most importantly, several teens have stated that, since playing, they’ve shifted their college plans to focus on more reasonably priced universities.