Tax season can be a real drag. But Open Ledger, an accounting software startup, is here to shake things up. They’ve just launched PokéTax, a game that turns tax preparation into a fun battle-style experience—think Pokémon Showdown.
How it works
You don’t deal with boring tax forms. Instead, you battle against Tax Trainers—those are gym leaders representing income, deductions and credits. Each trainer asks questions to help you complete your tax forms as you progress through the game.
Once you finish your tax run, the platform sends you to the IRS Direct File site to officially submit your taxes. Open Ledger co-founder Pryce Adade-Yebesi assures you that this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. “We really did build a game to make tax filing less tedious,” he says.
The story behind PokéTax
Adade-Yebesi and co-founder Ashtyn Bell launched Open Ledger earlier this year, with a $3 million funding round led by Kindred Ventures and Black Ventures. They built PokéTax as an experiment. “We wondered if we could make tax filing fun,” Adade-Yebesi says. “And the answer is yes.”
The game has an AI assistant to help you organize your responses and spot potential deductions. As you take on Tax Trainers, you unlock badges and rewards. That makes the tax filing process engaging and rewarding.
Gamifying taxes isn’t new. Tax Heaven 3000 introduced a dating-style tax game last year. But that game was only for the 2022 tax year. PokéTax takes a different tack by combining AI, interactivity and an engaging battle format to make tax filing more accessible and entertaining. “We want to make financial processes less overwhelming,” Adade-Yebesi says.
Get ready for tax season
The IRS deadline is April 15. PokéTax is a fresh, stress-free way to tackle tax filing. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-timer, this game could make your tax season more enjoyable and efficient.
