Barclays bank in the UK launched a viral online money management game a few days ago, called 56 Sage Street.

Aimed at a younger audience, the game focuses on challenging the player by offering various in game jobs. Players then progress through their ‘career’, improve their reputation and appearance, and eventually get the better paid jobs. However, players need to make careful decisions, as there is an opportunity cost when declining one job in lieu of another. Thieves and loan sharks will also attempt to trick the player into giving away their hard earned money. The world in 56 Sage Street is complex for what it is, offering over 100 interactive hot spots for the player to explore.

56 Sage Street draws on proven formulas for gameplay, siphoning features from these successful games

• The Sims User interface is very similar to actual gameplay in The Sims.
• Foursquare Unlocking certain achievements, and being able to share it with friends via social media.
• Guitar Hero Keyboard is used to play a guitar hero style mini game in certain levels.

Users don’t have to create a new username and password in order to play the game. The whole signing up process is streamlined by using one’s Facebook login details.

Game milestones can then also be shared via Facebook, and also Twitter.

So, how much would this game have cost to develop? An estimated £200,000.