Johnson C. Smith Students Compete in Video Game Tournament Teaching Business Skills

Nearly 100 students and local high schoolers learned about budgeting, profit-and-loss management, and business strategy.

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

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Johnson C. Smith University ran a video game contest in October where nearly 100 students and local high schoolers learned about budgeting, profit-and-loss management, and business strategy. TD Bank and the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship sponsored the event at the Charlotte, North Carolina, campus. The five-hour tournament used Venture Valley, a free multiplayer game where players launch and grow businesses from dog-walking start-ups to high-tech drone factories.

Why it matters

The event aimed to teach entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills through an engaging video game format, which research has shown can be an effective way for students to learn these concepts in a hands-on, interactive way.

The details

Participants wrestled with cash flow crunches, investment dilemmas, and competition while racing to build the most profitable virtual empire. The event awarded $5,000 in prizes, with JCSU senior Austin Luangvitham winning first place and $1,000, JCSU student Cameron Curtis placing second and earning $500, and high school student Cory Smith claiming third and $300.

  • The video game contest took place in October 2026.

The players

Johnson C. Smith University

A private Historically Black College and University that became the first HBCU to host a Venture Valley competition.

TD Bank

A bank that sponsored the event and provided guidance to participants on careers, internships, and starting a business.

Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship

A foundation that sponsored the event focused on teaching financial education and entrepreneurship skills.

Austin Luangvitham

A JCSU senior and computer science major who won the first-place prize of $1,000.

Cameron Curtis

A JCSU student who placed second in the competition and earned $500.

Cory Smith

A high school student who placed third in the competition and earned $300.

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What’s next

The university plans to continue hosting the Venture Valley competition annually to provide more students with the opportunity to learn business and financial skills through an engaging video game format.

The takeaway

This event demonstrates how innovative educational approaches, like using video games, can effectively teach important business and financial concepts to students in an interactive and immersive way that inspires them to see themselves as future entrepreneurs.