By YOUNG MONEY Staff
11 January 2011

The business world can be hard to understand. It fluctuates on a day-to-day basis and is affected by myriad economic factors. Schools and universities around the country have endeavored to better teach young people about money and business using games that are interactive and tap into today's video game culture, like the offerings from LavaMind.

Developed by LavaMind, Zapitalism.com and Profitania.com are examples of this burgeoning teaching field. Zapitalism lets students run a business, while Profitania is more advanced and puts students at the head of a manufacturing firm.These business simulation games are actually fun to use and teach young investors how to handle their money. Created by a former financial analyst and a game designer, the two Web sites offer students an interactive way to learn about financing.

According to LavaMind, their business simulation games are now used by hundreds of schools worldwide and serve as a valuable companion tool for business classes and training programs. By supplementing the core teaching curriculum, LavaMind's offerings enable students to reinforce concepts and add an interactive component to business, economics and entrepreneurship.

In February, LavaMind plans to launch its newest teaching tool, Gazillionaire.com, which caters specifically to students studying business, math and economics and has them run a trading company. The games are used at schools, like Lesley University and Seton Hall University, and are quickly expanding to new schools as student feedback is overwhelmingly positive.