Advancing the University Entrepreneurship Model: the Synergistic Impact of Gamification and EdTech on Business College Students at Comprehensive Universities in Zhejiang, China

Gamification enhances motivation and engagement in education. In the education domain, it stimulates interactive learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Within entrepreneurship education, the integration of game-based mechanics opens space for experimentation and supports more flexible approaches to risk. This shift in pedagogical strategy encourages students to take initiative and develop essential entrepreneurial competencies through hands-on, scenario-driven learning. This study examines the impact of gamification on promoting entrepreneurial intention among undergraduate business students in Zhejiang Comprehensive and Business Universities, with a specific focus on the enhancing role of educational technology (EdTech). Grounded in predictive modeling, the research explores how key gamification constructs, including four exogenous variables shape students' entrepreneurial readiness, behavior, and skills in one endogenous format. This study employs a quantitative approach, utilizing the SmartPLS-ANN advanced analytical technique to model complex relationships in the current data. The findings provide empirical insights into how gamified learning environments promote entrepreneurial competencies and how EdTech moderates this impact. The research offers valuable implications for university administrators, educators, and policymakers by emphasizing the role of gamification in triggering an entrepreneurial mindset in China. It points to the value of integrating technology-driven learning tools to optimize entrepreneurial education and support ecosystems within higher education institutions.