AI-driven education is about to meet cosplay, capes, and console battles. Welcome to Comic Con Cape Town 2025, where a South African university is using a pop culture mega-event to sell the future of learning to a generation raised on Twitch, TikTok, and 12-hour LAN marathons.
Yes, really.
Eduvos — one of South Africa’s largest private higher ed institutions — is leaning hard into Comic Con this year. Not just with a booth, but with main-stage talks, an esports tournament, and a pitch: that AI, gaming, and immersive tech can actually save education.
It sounds like an odd fit at first. Comic Con is where you go to line up for limited edition Funko Pops, not thought leadership about curricula. But Eduvos has been embedding itself in the event since 2023, and in 2025, they’re levelling up. Literally.
On Friday 2 May, two of Eduvos’ top academics — Dr. Miné de Klerk and Dr. Riaan Steenberg — will take the Pop-Taku Stage at CTICC 2 to unpack how AI is rewiring higher education, and why competitive gaming might be the key to solving South Africa’s critical skills shortage.
De Klerk’s session, Reshaping the Future of Higher Education with AI, kicks off at 1:30pm and dives into the promises (and risks) of artificial intelligence in academic spaces. Think less “robots taking over the classroom” and more about how generative tools can amplify critical thinking, personalise learning, and expand access — if used responsibly.
“We’re not about replacing teachers,” she says. “We’re about reimagining how students engage with knowledge in a world where AI is already part of the workflow.”
At 2:30pm, Steenberg shifts the energy from machine learning to multiplayer mayhem. His talk, The Impact of Esports & Education, argues that competitive gaming isn’t just fun — it’s training ground for digital fluency, teamwork, and creative problem-solving. All buzzwords in the corporate skills wishlist.
“Esports opens doors for our students—not just to compete, but to create,” Steenberg says. “With over 2,000 developers graduating annually, we’re building a talent pipeline for Africa’s digital economy.”
That pitch has traction. On Saturday, 3 May, Eduvos teams up again with RGB Gaming to host a live student tournament — the kind that gets loud, fast, and sweaty. It’s not just for show: Eduvos has baked esports directly into its academic offerings, including its Higher Certificate in Information Systems (Game Design and Development). At stake isn’t just leaderboard glory, but a redefinition of what a “career-ready” graduate looks like.
It’s a bold strategy. South Africa’s education system is under pressure: growing enrolments, uneven digital access, and a fast-shifting job market. Eduvos’ play is to meet students where they already are — in-game — and pull them into a world where academic content and real-world tech intersect.
The question is whether the rest of the education sector is paying attention.
With over 20,000 students enrolled in its first 2025 intake and 12 campuses nationwide, Eduvos is positioning itself as not just an institution, but a platform — a future-facing, modular, and deeply online learning environment. AI-driven education isn’t just a trend for them. It’s the core product.
And if Comic Con is any indication, they’re not afraid to sell it in spaces where education hasn’t traditionally shown up.
Because in the battle for attention, degrees and diplomas may no longer be enough. But esports and AI? That’s a combo move Gen Z might actually respond to.