San Francisco, California – As tax day approaches, Open Ledger, an accounting software company, has rolled out a unique product aimed at making the tedious task of filing taxes more enjoyable for users. The newly launched product, PokéTax, takes a creative spin on tax filing by incorporating elements of a popular Pokémon game.
Instead of traditional tax forms, users of PokéTax engage with Tax Trainers, who act as gym leaders representing different aspects of tax forms such as income, deductions, and credits. These leaders ask questions that guide players through the process of completing their tax forms. Once the game is completed, users are directed to the IRS Direct File site to officially submit their taxes.
Pryce Adade-Yebesi, co-founder of Open Ledger, emphasized the legitimacy of PokéTax, dismissing any notion of it being an April Fool’s joke. The game is a playful adaptation of the open-source Pokémon game called Pokémon Showdown. Adade-Yebesi and his team successfully raised $3 million in funding earlier this year, with the intent of bringing fun and innovation to financial processes.
The game features an AI assistant to help users organize their responses, and players have the opportunity to earn badges, symbolizing new deductions, as they progress through challenges posed by the Tax Trainers. Adade-Yebesi’s vision for PokéTax is to infuse joy and engagement into a typically mundane task, hoping to alleviate some of the stress associated with tax filing.
While turning tax processes into a game may seem unconventional, Open Ledger is not the first to experiment with this concept. In past years, there have been other attempts, such as the dating-style game Tax Heaven 3000, which aimed to make tax filing more interactive. However, PokéTax presents a fresh approach to gamifying tax preparation, offering users a novel way to navigate the complexities of taxes.
With tax day quickly approaching on April 15th, the launch of PokéTax serves as a reminder that innovation can be found in even the most unlikely of places. By merging elements of entertainment with financial responsibilities, Open Ledger hopes to redefine the way individuals approach tax season, ultimately making the process more engaging and less daunting for all users.