Ben-Gurion University builds Silicon Valley-style campus on Minecraft

The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is developing a Minecraft campus called the "Entrepreneurship 360" center in preparation for the upcoming academic year, the University announced in a Wednesday statement.

The new virtual center is being created for the purpose of educating students in the particulars of entrepreneurship and investing while allowing them to explore and develop their creativity.

Students immersed in the Minecraft virtual center learn about entrepreneurship in a direct and interesting way, as players earn coins equivalent to real money in the game. Additionally, players interact as either "investors" or "analysts" to further their understanding of the capabilities of venture capital in the world of entrepreneurship.

By undergoing the process of starting a business and securing funding, students can gain first-hand experience in the business world from the comfort of the classroom.

"Entrepreneurship is not a profession, it is a way of thinking that we give to our students from all faculties,” said Ben-Gurion University of the Negev President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz. “Our graduates go out into the world with a toolbox that goes far beyond the degree itself." 

Entrepreneurship 360 Center

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will also challenge participating students to form virtual start-ups and present them in the Minecraft universe before a panel of judges comprised of members from the Entrepreneurship 360 project.

Students will be tasked with developing a business plan within the burgeoning fields of e-commerce, artificial intelligence, gaming, smart home, food technologies, cyber, renewable energy, health technologies, education technologies, electricity, fashion technologies, communication, content creation, and space technologies. Once the virtual business is developed, they will present their company before the “investors” in a Shark Tank-style pitch.

“We built the campaign with the understanding that teenagers and university candidates are increasingly in virtual worlds and building the university campus is the center's first pillar in the developing virtual universe," said the VP of Marketing of the 360 Entrepreneurship Center at Ben Gurion University, Michael Anu.

“Even in the virtual world, Ben-Gurion University encourages and teaches entrepreneurship among the students," Anu declared.

Users can play the game through the Topstrix server on play.topstrix.net, which is open to the general public.