FinMaster: The South African board game tackling load shedding and politics
SA-made board game FinMaster, featuring load shedding and political twists, hits Exclusive Books shelves in Cape Town.
Image: Supplied
A South African-developed board game incorporating load shedding and political upheaval into its gameplay has arrived on shelves in Cape Town, as part of a national retail rollout.
FinMaster, created by financial education company Fintr, is now available at Exclusive Books stores, including outlets in Cape Town.
The game, designed for players aged 13 and older, focuses on building wealth through investing, saving and navigating market shifts. It incorporates South African elements such as loadshedding and cabinet reshuffles, placing players in scenarios reflecting local economic conditions.
The title has been compared to traditional property-trading board games, but introduces investment-based mechanics rather than property accumulation.
Its arrival in Cape Town follows its second-place finish at the International Educational Games Competition in Norway in 2025, according to the developers.
FinMaster originated as a university project by co-founders Elijah and Danei Rall, who identified financial literacy as a gap during their studies.
“We started some serious brainstorming and wanted to build an app instead,” Elijah said. “But everywhere we went, people would point to an initial pizza box iteration we had created as a board game, and would ask, ‘Can I buy that?’”
The concept evolved from a pizza box prototype into a commercial product after sustained public interest, with the team spending about 18 months refining the game before releasing a limited edition in December 2024.
While the developers say the game encourages engagement with financial concepts such as saving and investing, these claims are based on user feedback and have not been independently verified.
FinMaster is available online and through selected hobby and toy retailers.