This study presents the preliminary insights of five university tutors’ direct experiences in facilitating The Paradox of Theron (POT), a serious game designed to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and skills in undergraduate students. This preliminary study offers insights into the evolving educator role in game-based learning (GBL) environments where tutors are facilitators, not game designers. Adopting a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted and thematically analysed to understand how tutors navigated the pedagogical and logistical demands of POT. Rather than experiencing a simple increase or decrease in workload, tutors described a redistribution of effort. Some noted higher upfront preparation time, particularly in mastering game mechanics and aligning them with learning outcomes. Others experienced reduced content preparation due to the learner-driven nature of gameplay. A strong consensus emerged around the increased demand for ongoing student support, including but not limited to daily troubleshooting, clarification of rules, and monitoring of game progress, tasks that are minimal in traditional teaching. While lecture hours were often reduced, these changes did not necessarily equate to a lighter workload overall. Tutors also reflected on how facilitating POT influenced their teaching approaches. Several reported a meaningful shift toward more student-centred, experiential methods, while others maintained their core philosophies but adapted their techniques to enhance student engagement through gamification. Across experiences, the role of the educator expanded, from knowledge transmitter to guide, motivator, and translator of game experiences into meaningful entrepreneurial lessons. These findings highlight the dual impact of serious games in higher education: they not only introduce innovative pedagogical approaches but also redefine the roles and responsibilities of educators. Serious games such as POT have the potential to both reinforce and transform teaching practices, while simultaneously presenting new challenges related to workload distribution and facilitation demands. These insights carry important implications for faculty development, curriculum design, and the broader institutional integration of game-based learning. The study advocates for more structured and targeted professional development, comprehensive facilitation resources, and integrated support mechanisms to enable effective implementation.

Keywords: Game-based learning, serious games, entrepreneurship education, education management, higher education pedagogy, experiential learning.