Creditro

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Inspiration

When my grandparents immigrated from Mexico, they chased the American Dream but were blindsided by hidden fees, confusing regulations, and a completely foreign financial system. With no financial literacy resources, they treated credit cards like lifelines, only to find themselves buried under interest they didn’t understand.

Their journey made me realize: my family’s story isn’t unique. Over 5.6 million Americans are underbanked or misinformed about debt. That’s why 3LR built a financial literacy game: Creditro.

This project is my way of honoring my grandparents’ battle with debt. They gave me the chance to learn, and now I want to give millions of others the chance to avoid the same mistakes. Finance may be intimidating, but with the right tools—and maybe a little fun—Creditro can change that. -Leonardo Garcia

What it does

Creditro is a pixelated world where financial skills unlock real progress. As players learn the rules of the financial world, we put tools in front of them to make tangible progress along real metrics. Creditro bundles education, iteration, and action into one engaging platform with robust software implementation for security, accountability, and interoperability with industry-standard tools.

How we built it

Firebase Authentication, Node.js, and Express.js on the backend Phaser, React, React Native, and Webpack on the frontend Git for version control and npm for package management Photoshop, Procreate, and Gemini canvas for sprite generation and animation

Challenges we ran into

Game engine logic and syncing backend and frontend with real-time user input. Pixel art style adherence (style and color palette for UI/UX) Human-centered design Removing barriers to use and iterating on program structure

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Algorithmic pathing logic for reusable assets instead of hardcoding assets with specific locations. Creating and constantly working on a smoother and consistent design Starting an expandable, easy-to-understand, no-frills curriculum that anyone can take for no cost Designing fun animations and characters to make finance feel more human! Ideating during the first day and getting comfortable with clear communication, yes-and mindset, and pivoting.

What we learned

Credit regulation is very strict Although powerful resources exist for financial literacy, credit score improvement, and bill reporting, there is still a gap in combining the three in a fun and easy-to-learn manner. The power of integrating genAi into our workflow and building into its features

What's next for Creditro

WebsocketRTC sync + custom game engine

Community partners Sponsor banks; tradelines for graduates of Creditro (looking at you, Capital One!) Production-ready implementation: ID: Persona Document Verification: Google Cloud Vision --> Persona --> Furnishers Data Furnishing Approval/Outsourcing: industry partners (Equifax Furnisher guide) Partnership with Equifax/Equirian/TransUnion for bureau reporting Local businesses can sponsor courses and offer coupons that players can add to their in-game wallet, which can be redeemed for discounts/prizes at retail locations .