This article describes research aimed at improving cybersecurity behaviors at the individual level through game design. In the study, researchers designed a desktop computer game called Hacked Time with a narrative-based game design that includes an interactive virtual environment and dialogue between characters. In the game, users encounter decisions and experiences that are designed to educate users about effective responses to security breaches and best practices such as password management and dual-factor authentication. To evaluate the effectiveness of their game for cybersecurity awareness, researchers intend to first conduct interviews with users to assess their impressions of the game and how the game may have influenced the user’s cybersecurity knowledge. Then, researchers hope to use a more experimental design to compare gameplay to other cybersecurity education methods such as pamphlets and videos.
