Teacher and Student Bootcamp “G4C Wars – The Sustainability Game Rebellion” Game4Change – Next Generation Entrepreneurship

From April 14–16, 2025, we hosted our second Teacher and Student Bootcamp titled “G4C Wars – The Sustainability Game Rebellion” in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland. Over three dynamic days, 60 students and 10 teachers from more than seven nations came together to explore entrepreneurial thinking, sustainability, and gamification in an intensive, hands-on learning environment.

The Bootcamp was designed around clear learning objectives, ensuring that by the end, participants could:

• Apply game elements to engage and motivate entrepreneurial activities
• Understand fundamental principles such as problem identification, market gaps, and customer pain points
• Describe sustainable business frameworks
• Recognize leadership basics, team dynamics, and crisis management

Skills development was central: participants identified real-world problems, generated innovative solutions, built sustainable business models, collaborated in diverse international teams, and learned how to pitch their ideas confidently. The attitude shift was equally emphasized: students and teachers alike fostered an entrepreneurial mindset, valued diversity, embraced sustainability, and tackled uncertainties with creativity and positivity.

Bootcamp Highlights

Day 1: The Innovation Force Awakens
Participants gathered at the campus before heading to Krakow for a playful exploration of old and new game elements, including hands-on sessions at the Museum of Games. Gamified ideation workshops encouraged participants to generate fresh ideas and bond as international teams.

Day 2: Mastering the Force
Teams presented initial ideas, deepened their understanding of sustainability, and engaged in the Business Model Tetris Game. Teachers participated in dedicated sessions to explore how gamification could enhance their teaching practices. The day ended with cultural exploration in Silesia.

Day 3: Rise of Leadership
The final day focused on leadership and crisis management, including a simulation game and final team prototyping. The Bootcamp culminated in the Grand Finale Pitch Battle, where teams presented their projects and top performers were recognized. All participants received certificates celebrating their achievements.

Teacher and Student Outcomes

Teachers strengthened their grasp of gamification, entrepreneurship education, and leadership guidance. They also reflected on their own teaching strategies, with a focus on inclusivity, diversity, and evidence-based improvements, ensuring long-term impact beyond the Bootcamp.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the Bootcamp, learned a great deal, and greatly valued the opportunity to participate in an international learning atmosphere as part of the G4C project. For many, it was an unforgettable experience that broadened their perspectives and boosted both their entrepreneurial and intercultural skills.

The event concluded with a transnational project meeting, reinforcing international collaboration and integrating the Bootcamp’s insights into the broader Game4Change project.

The Bootcamp marked another milestone on the road to fostering Next Generation Entrepreneurship and will be followed by the project’s final conference in Dresden, 17. September 2025.

Author: Magne Ortmann