By Matthew Scott, Special to Black Voices

Can playing games help people become better managers of their credit card debt? The Doorway to Dreams Fund (D2D) has created an online financial literacy video game that they hope will do just that.

The game is called "Celebrity Calamity," and it asks players to serve as the business manager for three "spend first-ask questions later" celebrities -- Jessica Albudget, Buster Buyin and Missy Moolah. By managing debit and credit card purchases, players either successfully guide each celebrity through their challenging financial situations, or get fired in the process. As you might imagine, like with real celebrities who sometimes make purchases beyond their means, there is quite a bit of fiscal folly to overcome during the game. But exposure to such

financial miscues is what makes it great for those who don't fully understand how dealing with real credit card debt can quickly lead to financial ruin.

Designed by Enspire Learning, the game is currently offered to play for free at www.celebritycalamity.com. Because it is offered free, Nick Maynard, Director of Innovation and New Product Development at D2D, said the game hopes to appeal to the casual gaming segment of the video gaming industry, a growing area where gamers play at free online websites such as www.kongregate.com and www.bubblebox.com. The game and its graphics are simple (see screen shots), and not intended to compete with the sophisticated animation of "Grand Theft Auto" or the technical wizardry of the Nintendo Wii. The bigger issue, Mr. Maynard said, is that the game is the first of several that are trying to become viable teaching tools for managing credit card expenses and explaining credit card terms, like APR (annual percentage rate), while also providing entertainment. Test groups seem to indicate that games such as these may have some promise.

According to Mr. Maynard, preliminary testing of the game with low-to-moderate income women ages 18 to 32 revealed that anywhere from 15% to 30% said their financial skills self-confidence increased. Many also reported that they found the game to be fun.

Of course, being more confident about handling a credit card and actually managing it more responsibly are two different things. But, confidence improves performance in almost everything else, so why not in the area of credit management?

After playing the game myself, I believe it could be beneficial to younger people and those who are inexperienced with using credit cards. It not only provides practice deciding how to make spending decisions, but it also informs players about how their credit card annual percentage rate works. Playing the game also discourages carrying a credit card balance, something that can't hurt current and future generations of consumers. For those who consider themselves good financial managers, they may enjoy the challenge of successfully dealing with the bad decisions of the game's celebrity bosses. But since it's free, by trying the game, you certainly have nothing to lose, and you might actually have a bit of fun while learning something about credit cards and your ability to manage debt.