Oxford dictionary defines gamification as the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity to encourage engagement with a product or service:
Bringing an element of fun helps to achieve lasting change in human behaviour, as demonstrated by The Fun Theory project. Here are some videos to get an idea how gamification can drive behavioural change to address social and business challenges:
Gamification can also be a powerful learning tool when applied to information security.
For example, CyberCIEGE enhances information assurance and cyber security education and training through the use of computer gaming techniques such as those employed in SimCity™. In the CyberCIEGE virtual world, users spend virtual money to operate and defend their networks, and can watch the consequences of their choices, while under attack.
In its interactive environment, CyberCIEGE covers significant aspects of computer and network security and defense. Players of this video game purchase and configure workstations, servers, operating systems, applications, and network devices. They make trade offs as they struggle to maintain a balance between budget, productivity, and security. In its longer scenarios, users advance through a series of stages and must protect increasingly valuable corporate assets against escalating attacks.
CyberCIEGE includes configurable firewalls, VPNs, link encryptors and access control mechanisms. It includes identity management components such as biometric scanners and authentication servers. Attack types include corrupt insiders, trap doors, Trojan horses, viruses, denial of service, and exploitation of weakly configured systems. Attacker motives to compromise assets differ by asset and scenario, thereby supporting scenarios ranging from e-mail attachment awareness to cyber warfare.
More information along with introduction and demonstration movies are also available on the official website.
Cybersecure: Your Medical Practice is another example of using gamification to educate people but not in the context of the HIPAA regulation compliance.
This web-based security training module uses a game format that requires users to respond to privacy and security challenges often faced in a typical small medical practice. Users choosing the right response earn points and see their virtual medical practices flourish. But users making the wrong security decisions can hurt their virtual practices. In this version, the wrong decisions lead to floods, server outages, fire damage and other poor outcomes related to a lack of contingency planning.
Gamification can also be applied in user awareness training to change the behaviour of users in the organisation. One instance of this might be helping to recognize phishing links.
Anti-Phishing Phil is an interactive game that teaches users how to identify phishing URLs, where to look for cues in web browsers, and how to use search engines to find legitimate sites.
User studies have found that user education can help prevent people from falling for phishing attacks. However, it is hard to get users to read security tutorials, and many of the available online training materials make users aware of the phishing threat but do not provide them with enough information to protect themselves. Studies demonstrate that Anti-Phishing Phil is an effective approach to user education.
Apozy and Wombat Security Technologies also focus on gamification in raising awareness about security risks.
There is a free online course on gamification available. This course will teach you the mechanisms of gamification, why it has such tremendous potential, and how to use it effectively.
Cyber Security Leadership 