The Virtual Campus you wish you had: what is Gathertown?

When the pandemic pushed the world online, most educational platforms responded by trying to make digital learning feel like a classroom, but very often it turned out to be more awkward. Sitting on video calls with your camera off, endlessly scrolling Slack threads, and staring at your classmates’ floating heads in grainy little boxes was supposed to feel “connected.” But let’s be honest: it felt more like solitary confinement.

Then there’s Gathertown—a retro, pixelated space that’s less like a classroom and more like a multiplayer game you’d sneak in between lectures. It’s a space where Le Wagon online part-time students don’t just learn—they explore, run into each other “by accident,” and get lost in an online campus that’s weirdly addictive. Imagine The Sims got a job as a bootcamp instructor, added video chat, and decided to host classes inside a mashup of a ‘90s arcade and a college campus. Welcome to the classroom of the future.

Welcome to Gathertown: the video game campus

Picture this: you log into your class and are welcomed by a fun, pixelated version of yourself. This little avatar can explore a digital world that looks like an old-school video game. You can walk into classrooms, settle into a cozy study spot, or bump into your classmates for casual chats—all in a 2D space that feels more lively and connected than your typical video call.

Gathertown turns interactions into an adventure. You’re not just sitting there waiting for your turn to speak; you’re moving, exploring, and running into people like you would in a real-life campus.

At Le Wagon, we have transformed online learning so it replicates the experience on campus, so students feel like they’re actually together, even if they’re scattered across different time zones and continents.

How we use to Gathertown at Le Wagon

Welcome to our digital playground, where online learning transcends the typical classroom and becomes a fully immersive experience. Here’s how we’re turning online learning into an actual experience.

The core zones: more than just classrooms

Our Gathertown campus isn’t just a bunch of video call rooms; it’s a fully mapped-out world with dedicated spaces to make online learning feel dynamic and interactive:

• Classroom: Think of this as the central meeting point for kick-offs, lectures, and recaps. It’s where we all start the day, our avatars huddled together, ready to dive into code.
• Group Work Tables: These tables are where the real magic happens. Collaboration is at the heart of Le Wagon’s approach, so students can break into teams, share ideas, and brainstorm in a virtual space that feels like an actual study lounge.
• Teaching Assistant (TA) Rooms: For those burning questions and tricky bugs, students can pop over to a private room and meet one-on-one with a TA. This isn’t just a forum answer or a chat bot—it’s real-time problem-solving with one of our teachers.

And because no campus would be complete without chill spots, we’ve got a deep focus area for heads-down work and a rest/play space for blowing off steam. Whether you’re deep in code or taking a break, there’s a spot for every mood.

Why Gathertown Works: the little things

At Le Wagon, we didn’t just want a virtual classroom; we wanted a virtual hangout. So we filled our Gathertown campus with everything you never knew you needed in an online course: a deep focus zone (because cramming is universal), rest areas (complete with dogs you can pet—seriously, they follow you around), and plants you can water (for that digital dopamine hit).

Students love Gathertown because of the little moments. It’s the chaos of accidentally walking into a group meeting because you got lost (again), or the spontaneous conversations that feel like stumbling into a friend at the campus café. It’s a break from the usual isolation of online classes—because sitting alone on Zoom with your camera off isn’t exactly “community,” is it?

Our students don’t just show up for the curriculum; they show up for the moments that can’t be planned. Like alumni Lena Sachse said:

“The teamwork was very fun, especially in the last weeks when we really made use of Gathertown. It was like actually meeting up and working together, and it made the process so much easier and enjoyable.”

This isn’t just education—it’s a full-on experience. Welcome to the bootcamp of the future, where the campus parties may be pixelated, but the connections are very, very real.