Winning The Savings Game

ENFIELD, Conn., Feb. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As the number of adults who play video games equals or exceeds those who save for retirement, MassMutual is introducing a new way to promote retirement savings: a video game for smart phones and tablets.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7755151-massmutual-futurejet-savings-video-game/

The FUTUREJET game is available to download for free from the Apple App Store^SM and Google Play^TM app store to anyone who wants to play. The game is being promoted on MassMutual's RetireSmart^SM website for retirement plan savers with a YouTube-based demonstration video.

"Video gaming is a highly popular medium for adult Americans, especially younger adults," said Heather Smiley, Chief Marketing Officer for MassMutual Retirement Services and Worksite Insurance. "Creating the FUTUREJET game helps us connect with more Americans in a fun way and promote the importance of saving, especially long-term savings for retirement."

FUTUREJET allows players to fly characters with helmets and jetpacks through FUTUREJET City, whose lights are flickering out due to dwindling energy supplies. The object of the game is for players to collect power pods while flying over, under and around obstacles as fast as possible. Collecting the pods promotes two savings goals: fueling the players' jetpacks to continue flying in the short term while conserving extra energy to power FutureCity in the long term.

Gaming has continued to grow in popularity and now dominates the entertainment landscape, according to Smiley. MassMutual emphasizes connecting with its customers in whatever medium wherever they prefer, including the Internet, email, direct mail, individual and group meetings, and now video games, she said.

Increasingly, Americans prefer gaming. The Pew Research Center reported in December 2015 that 49 percent of American adults play video games on a computer, TV, game console or portable device such as a smartphone.¹ The percentage of players is nearly identical for men (50 percent) as it is for women (48 percent), according to the Pew.

Two-thirds (67 percent) of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 – a significant portion of the Millennial population -- are the most likely to say they play video games, Pew reports. Three-quarters (77 percent) of young men and three out of five (57 percent) young women play, according to the study.

Meanwhile, it appears that more Americans may now play video games than save in an employer-sponsored retirement plan. An analysis by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) of data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that 47.6 percent of Americans participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan² – nearly two points below those who play video games. The data comes from the 2014 Current Population Survey, the latest available.

"There is no denying the popularity of video games. MassMutual has found that the more tightly we connect with the interests of our customers, the more successful we are in convincing them of the importance to save for retirement," Smiley said. "Introducing a video game to promote retirement savings is the latest medium we are using to disseminate and underscore our message."

For more information about MassMutual's Retirement Services Division, please contact your financial professional or call MassMutual at 1-800-874-2502, option 4.

About MassMutual
Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyowners consistently since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company's strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or find MassMutual on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest. For information regarding MassMutual's Retirement Services Division, you may also visit massmutual.com/retire or find us on Facebook.com/RetireSmart and YouTube.com/RetireSmart.

¹ Gaming and Gamers, Pew Research Center, Dec. 15, 2015 --http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/gaming-and-gamers/

² New Census Survey Shows Unexplainable Drop in Retirement Plan Participation, Dec. 16, 2015, Employee Benefit Research Institute -- https://www.ebri.org/pdf/PR1150.CPS.16Dec15.pdf

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Contact: David Potter
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[email protected]

SOURCE MassMutual Retirement Services

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