In recent years, “gamification” has become a popular term in corporate training, promising to make learning more engaging and effective. By incorporating game-like elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards, gamification aims to motivate employees and enhance their learning experience. However, when it comes to cyber security awareness, is gamification truly a game-changer, or is it just another buzzword? Or are some vendors simply baby-fying the trainings by pushing interactive videos in the name of situation-based trainings that employees are turning their heads against? Let’s delve into the realities of gamification in cyber security training.

Gamification leverages human psychology, tapping into our natural desires for competition, achievement, and social interaction. In theory, these elements can transform mundane training sessions into exciting challenges, encouraging active participation and improving retention rates. Companies often highlight the following benefits of gamification:

1. Increased Engagement: Interactive elements can make learning more enjoyable, keeping employees interested and attentive.
2. Improved Retention: Game mechanics can reinforce learning objectives, helping employees remember crucial information.
3. Enhanced Motivation: Leaderboards and rewards can motivate employees to complete training and perform better.

Despite its potential, gamification may not always live up to the hype, especially in the context of cyber security awareness. Here are some reasons why gamification might be more of a buzzword than a real solution:

1.Surface-Level Engagement: While gamification can make training more fun, it often focuses on short-term engagement rather than long-term understanding. Employees may participate actively to earn points or rewards but may not fully grasp the critical concepts necessary for robust cyber security practices.

2.Lack of Depth: Cyber security is a complex and ever-evolving field that requires deep understanding and critical thinking. Gamified elements might oversimplify these concepts, leading to a superficial grasp of essential security measures.

3.One-Size-Fits-All Approach: Not all employees are motivated by competition or rewards. Gamification may not appeal to everyone, potentially leaving out those who prefer different learning styles.

4.Temporary Boost: The novelty of gamification can wear off quickly, leading to diminishing returns in engagement and effectiveness over time. Once the initial excitement fades, employees might revert to their previous levels of interest and participation.

By 2025, Gen Z and Millennials will comprise more than 75% of the workforce. These generations have grown up with superior quality, engaging games such as PUBG and Free Fire. They are accustomed to high-quality, immersive experiences that captivate their attention and provide substantial entertainment value. Offering them gamification in the form of simplistic interactive videos or basic game mechanics can feel like a complete waste of time, resources, and organizational budget. This approach risks the “babyfication” of training, reducing it to a superficial exercise that fails to meet their expectations or enhance their skills meaningfully.

One major flaw in the current trend of gamification is the use of static character interactive videos with single-dimensional voice overs and decision-making loops. These videos often bore employees to the core, making them disinterested in learning about real cyber safety. When training feels monotonous and uninspiring, employees are less likely to engage deeply with the material or retain critical information, ultimately defeating the purpose of the training.

The current trend of gamification through interactive videos often creates a false sense of security for organizations deploying such training. By relying on superficial engagement techniques, companies might believe they have effectively educated their employees, while in reality, they have only scratched the surface. This superficial engagement can leave employees underprepared and vulnerable to cyber threats, ultimately undermining the organization’s security posture.

Real gamification means when people get involved, engage, and talk about the game for days and months, if not years. When people come together to watch a sports event, that is gamification. Even though they are not playing, they are involved in watching with deep interest, and then providing inputs to each other. They even provide inputs to their favorite teams and players, and nudge and judge them that they should play in a particular way or would applaud them for playing the way they thought they should play. There is real critical thinking at play here.

One highly effective method to reinforce learning and trigger critical thinking is incorporating trivia in the form of quizzes following the training sessions. Quizzes challenge employees to recall and apply what they’ve learned, promoting deeper understanding and retention of cyber security concepts. By engaging their critical thinking skills, quizzes help employees analyze scenarios, solve problems, and make informed decisions in real-life situations

SyberNow provides this delightful opportunity for gamification. Employees watch the movies for entertainment, and they answer the trivia based on what they watched and what they think was right or wrong. In their mind, they put themselves in the shoes of the protagonist when they answer the quiz. They may be right or they may be wrong, but in both ways, they learn. That’s how SyberNow’s gamification delivers results by bringing about a cultural shift in security awareness.

At SyberNow, we understand the limitations of gamification and strive to provide more comprehensive and effective cyber security awareness training. Our unique 52-week continuous learning program ensures that employees receive regular, engaging, and relevant content that goes beyond simple game mechanics. By incorporating real-world scenarios, personalized training, interactive elements, and trivia quizzes, we help employees develop a deep understanding of cyber security principles and practices.

While gamification has its merits, it’s not a silver bullet for effective cyber security training. The key to true engagement and learning lies in a well-rounded approach that combines interactive content, real-world scenarios, continuous education, and critical thinking exercises like quizzes. By moving beyond the buzzword of gamification, organizations can cultivate a culture of security awareness that truly empowers employees to protect themselves and their company from cyber threats.

Moreover, the industry currently suffers from a severe lack of resources who can truly engage employees. Remember, that engaging people is an art, science and skill. It requires an understanding of human psychology, cyber security, and a crowd pulling entertainment mindset to ensure the trainings have the right impact. The employees should have fun while they learn. Reach out to support@sybernow.com to learn how we can help you with true gamification of cyber security awareness trainings.

Learn more about gamification here