Survive the Month

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  Home Screen

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  Information Tab UI Screen

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  Game UI + Map Design

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  Bills UI Screen

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  Fridge UI Screen

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  Example Game Over Screen

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  Grocery Store UI Screen

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  Park / Random Events UI Screen

Inspiration

Managing money is a real-life skill, but most teens never experience the pressure of budgeting until it’s too late. We wanted to create something that simulates real financial stress in a way that’s engaging, fast-paced, and actually fun. “Survive the Month” was inspired by the idea of turning financial literacy into a game where every decision matters.

What it does

Survive the Month is a decision-based simulation game where players manage their money over the course of a month. Players start with a set balance and must make choices about spending on essentials, unexpected expenses, and lifestyle decisions. The goal is to make it to the end of the month without running out of money.

The game pushes players to think carefully about budgeting, prioritization, and the consequences of their decisions.

How we built it

We built the game using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, with Phaser.js powering the gameplay. The interface was designed to resemble a financial dashboard, while the game logic handles dynamic events like random expenses and player choices.

We used GitHub for version control and collaboration, which helped us iterate quickly and manage changes efficiently.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was balancing realism with fun. If the game was too easy, it wouldn’t be meaningful; if it was too difficult, players would lose interest.

We also ran into technical challenges with UI rendering, managing game state between scenes, and ensuring that elements like balances and expenses updated smoothly.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of making a typically overlooked topic like budgeting into something interactive and engaging. The game creates real tension and forces players to make meaningful decisions.

We also successfully built a working game from scratch with functional mechanics, a user interface, and replayability.

What we learned

We learned how to design something that balances education and engagement. On the technical side, we improved our skills in game development with Phaser, debugging, and organizing larger JavaScript projects.

We also learned the importance of testing and iteration when building interactive experiences.

What's next for Survive the Month

We plan to expand the game with additional features, such as difficulty levels, different life scenarios, and longer-term progression. We also want to add feedback systems to help players understand their choices.

In the future, we hope to grow this into a platform for classrooms to teach financial literacy in a more engaging way.

Built With

• css
• github
• githubpages
• html
• javascript
• json
• phaser.js
• replit
• tiled
• visualstudiocode
• webgl