Introducing The Real Game: Where future plans meet real-world demands

The Real Game by Xello turns a pupil’s future ambitions into a foundation for meaningful post-16 and post-18 plans.

For many pupils, future planning still feels abstract. A matchmaker quiz, a list of saved careers, and a handful of college and university searches—too often that’s where it ends. What’s missing? Context. Urgency. Ownership.

Helping every pupil understand the real-world implications of their choices—cost of living, work/life balance, financial trade-offs—is time-consuming and intensive. Career leaders, advisers, and teachers are already stretched thin. And even where financial education exists within PSHE or maths, it’s often siloed from careers planning and difficult for pupils to apply in meaningful ways.

Add in a challenging economy and a generation of pupils who care deeply about purpose and well-being (alongside pay), and the stakes are even higher.

Pupils need more than a checklist. They need an experience that helps them connect the dots—early. That’s where The Real Game comes in.

What is The Real Game?

The Real Game is an immersive and highly interactive experience that helps pupils explore life after school in a way that feels real, relevant, and motivating. It blends simulation, gameplay, and learning to give pupils a meaningful preview of adult life—and how their current decisions shape their future.

Here’s what it includes:

• Quick Simulations: Pupils run real-time affordability checks on their career and lifestyle preferences using regional salary and cost-of-living data. As they compare simulations across careers, pathways, and lifestyle choices, they begin to understand what it takes to live the life they want and how to adjust their plans to get them there.

• Games (coming soon!): Through long-form gameplay, pupils are transported into the future. They have a career, a bank account, and a challenge—to balance their financial health, work demands, and personal well-being as they navigate real-world scenarios. Pupils flex their critical thinking skills, weighing trade-offs and developing insight into what life as an independent adult might look like.

• Comprehension Activities (coming soon!): Bite-sized videos and quick knowledge checks build practical financial literacy on topics like budgeting, credit, debt, and saving. These activities can be completed independently or within the game itself.

Bonus! The Real Game comes with ready-made resources that make it easy for Careers Leaders and teachers to facilitate high-quality classroom discussions—even if financial literacy isn’t their area of expertise.

What makes The Real Game unique?

Most careers platforms help pupils set goals. With the addition of The Real Game, Xello helps them experience their choices in a safe, simulated environment—so they can make adjustments before it counts.

• Real-world decisions, not just theory: Pupils feel the impact of their choices—not just read about them.
• Grounded in local realities: Salary and expense data reflects local cost of living—allowing pupils to compare across regions.
• Designed to spark ownership: When pupils see how their plans affect the life they want, they start reflecting—and planning—differently.
• Built for classrooms, PSHE, and guidance: Flexible enough to fit wherever careers and financial education are delivered–whether in tutor time, lessons, or one-to-one sessions.

Here’s what career leaders are saying

Schools that piloted early versions of The Real Game, saw clear impact on pupil engagement and planning.

“[Pupils] are using Xello’s simulations to give them the facts,” says Sandy Fink, Career Adviser. “[They’re] saying, if it’s not what I can afford, I’ve got to go back to my matches and [work] out what were some better choices?”

The Real Game helps pupils level-set expectations and reassess their pathway options.

“One of my pupils realised the job they wanted, no matter what level, was never going to pay what they anticipated,” says Valerie Santos. “So we had a conversation about it. Could they make less money? Is that job really going to make them happy? Or is there something else out there where they could make more money and still have that fulfillment.”

“The kids all kind of got the goal of it, you know,” says Fink. “I need to think about money, and I need to think about salaries, and I need to think about budgeting and the life I want to live. So that was pretty cool.”

Is The Real Game right for your school?

If you’re responsible for…

• Delivering against the Gatsby Benchmarks
• Financial education within PSHE, maths, or business
• Tutor time or enrichment activities
• Supporting Careers Leaders and advisers with practical tools
• Helping pupils make informed post-16 and post-18 choices

…then The Real Game by Xello is for you.

Implementation is straightforward and comes with everything you need to get started with confidence.

Ready for The Real Game? Here’s how you can get started

• Register for The Real Game launch webinar on October 14th
• Download The Real Game one-pager to share with your staff
• Talk to a Xello expert or email help@xello.co.uk to learn how The Real Game can be implemented in your school