Sometimes the Best Security Conversation Starts With a Game
Security can feel complicated, technical, and difficult to approach.
Games change the dynamic.
They create a safe environment where people can explore ideas, ask questions, test assumptions, and learn together. Instead of being told what to think, participants discover concepts through interaction, discussion, and shared experience.
The result is often more memorable than a presentation and more engaging than a lecture. Games create connection, camaraderie, and learning moments that help people develop a deeper understanding of security and decision-making.
Designed as the easy way to get started threat modeling, and in wide use for that purpose.
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Control-Alt-Hack™ is a tabletop card game about white hat hacking, based on game mechanics by gaming powerhouse Steve Jackson Games (Munchkin and GURPS) and developed in collaboration with Tammy Denning and Yoshi Kohno.
Read MoreElevation of Privilege was not the first physical game for teaching security — it was predated by at least Protection Poker, Core Impact's Exploit, and, depending on how you draw the lines, Hacker from Steve Jackson Games. However, since EoP there's been a great many games created, and Adam has maintained a list.
Read MoreWhy Games are Important
Games teach. Games provide engagement and repetition, which help people learn. Many people have crafted games with explicit security learning goals. These are 'serious games,' or 'games with a purpose.' There have been academic workshops with a focus on using games to enhance learning.
Security is very serious stuff, but that doesn't mean that we can't be playful, creative, or engaging as we work.