A university on Minecraft
(Video: Ben-Gurion University)
In recent years there has been a surge in the popularity of video games and virtual worlds among Israeli adolescents. The realm of gaming has evolved into the world's most dominant media form, leaving a trail of dust in its wake for both television and social media networks in terms of user base and the substantial hours individuals dedicate to it.
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As the new school year approaches, the "Entrepreneurship 360" center at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev has introduced a virtual campus within the Minecraft game. The primary goal of this virtual campus is to educate and empower young individuals with insights into the realm of entrepreneurship, investments, and the acquisition of tools for fostering creativity.
Participating in activities within this virtual campus equips young boys and girls with fresh skills to actively promote entrepreneurship and innovation, offering a "show, don't tell" approach to gain experience.
Students are actively and captivatingly educated about the entrepreneurial process, all while earning incentives in the form of in-game currency with real-world value. Furthermore, according to Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, an interactive connection is formed between players and "investors" or "analysts" who represent a grasp of risk capital competencies within the entrepreneurship center.
As a result, through genuine engagement in the actual startup establishment journey, participants acquire a "360" type of understanding of the business procedure taught at the entrepreneurship center. They will be required to exhibit strong communication abilities, an awareness of the market they are targeting with the startup, and the feasibility of putting the idea into practice.
The inspiration for ideas is drawn by young boys and girls from a diverse array of fields within the realms of computing and high-tech, such as e-commerce, artificial intelligence, gaming, smart homes, food technologies, cybersecurity, renewable energy, health technologies, educational technologies, electricity, fashion technologies, communication and content creation, and space technologies.
The game can be accessed through the Topstrix server, where thousands of players participate daily, and it's open to the general public.
"Entrepreneurship is not simply a profession, but rather a way of thinking that we provide to our students from all faculties. Our graduates leave with a toolbox that exceeds the merits of a degree. From here on out, even in the virtual world, Ben-Gurion University intends to foster and instill entrepreneurship among its students," University President Daniel Haimovitz said.