An alien named Neila just crash-landed in your backyard. Her ship runs on joy, not fuel, and now she needs your help to get home. 

That's the premise behind Let's Trade!, GPB's newest interactive resource, built in partnership with the Georgia Council on Economic Education (GCEE) and FableVision Studios. This free simulation is now available for classrooms across the state, giving students in grades 6-12 a hands-on way to understand how international trade shapes the world around them. 

How it Works 

Players discover that Neila's ship contains Space Made Items for Laughs and Excitement, or SMILEs. To generate enough joy to send her home, they must produce and sell SMILEs, which means sourcing the raw materials from countries around the world and distributing the finished product to international trade partners. 

Along the way, players will: 

  • Negotiate deals with trade partners in the Handshake Game. 
  • Build export and import routes across an interactive world map. 
  • Respond to Breaking News events that test their thinking in real trade scenarios. 
  • Manage their money while working to maximize global joy. 

The interactive simplifies real-world trade dynamics into a model that students can easily manipulate, but the lessons are real: specialization, trade barriers, comparative advantage, and the trade-offs that come with every deal. 

“It has truly been an honor to work with the amazing teams at GCEE and GPB,” says Gary Goldberger, FableVision President and Co-founder. “‘Let’s Trade!’ strikes a fantastic balance between educational content and gameplay. The team’s goal was to ensure that the content was delivered in an engaging, fun way that challenged players.”

Designed for the Classroom 

Let's Trade! aligns to the Georgia Standards of Excellence for 6th and 7th grade social studies (SS6E2), 8th grade economics (SS8E2), and high school personal finance and economics (SSEIN1). It also supports several National Content Standards in K-12 economics. 

Teachers receive a full guide covering gameplay, standards alignment, and discussion prompts. Student activities and classroom lesson plans are also in the works. 

Let's Trade! is the latest collaboration between GPB and GCEE, bringing together GPB's strength in digital learning design with GCEE's expertise in economic education. 

"As an economic education resource, Let's Trade! is about as flexible and useful as they come," said Dr. Chris Cannon, Associate Director and Chief Program Officer at the Georgia Council on Economic Education. "In addition to the obvious trade topics, there are opportunities for teachers to engage students with discussions on resources, prices, working with others, the importance of relationships, geography, and more! I'm looking forward to seeing the creative ways teachers find to use Let's Trade! in their classrooms." 

Try it Today 

Let's Trade! is free to access. Visit gpb.org/lets-trade. 

 

Let's Trade Launch

A special launch event for Let's Trade brought together Georgia educators, school district leaders, trade experts, and industry representatives to explore Georgia’s role in global trade, experience a live demonstration of the game, and participate in a panel discussion on the impact of international trade in Georgia.

Let's Trade Launch

Let's Trade Launch

Let's Trade Launch

Let's Trade Launch

Let's Trade Launch

Let's Trade Launch