Högskolan i Skövde

his.sePublications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • apa-cv
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Exploring the versatility of gamification as an educational method for ISA training
University of Skövde, School of Informatics.
University of Skövde, School of Informatics.
2025 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

Human error remains a dominant factor in cybersecurity breaches, underscoring the need for effective methods to improve Information Security Awareness (ISA). One emerging approach is gamification (using game-based elements in non-game contexts) to enhance user engagement and learning outcomes. This thesis presents a systematic literature review (SLR) investigating the versatility and effectiveness of gamification as an educational tool for ISA. The review analyzes studies that implement gamified methods for security training, with a focus on both their methods and reported outcomes. The search included publications discussing gamified ISA tools with measurable positive or negative results. Findings reveal a diverse range of game genres employed, including quizzes, simulations, role-playing, and narrative-driven scenarios. These games target various ISA topics such as phishing, password strengths, social engineering, and security routines. The findings also include four SLR to highlight effectiveness and versatility. For further clarity on the subject, informal interviews were conducted with experts in the field to strengthen or weaken our research findings, and results showed that it strengthened our findings. Overall, the reviewed literature suggests that gamified approaches can significantly improve user awareness and behavior, though effectiveness varies by game design and target audience. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. , p. iv, 52
Keywords [en]
Gamification, serious games, cybersecurity, information security awareness
National Category
Information Systems, Social aspects
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:his:diva-25610OAI: oai:DiVA.org:his-25610DiVA, id: diva2:1985596
Subject / course
Informationsteknologi
Educational program
Network and Systems Administration
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2025-07-25 Created: 2025-07-25 Last updated: 2025-09-29Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(518 kB)333 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT01.pdfFile size 518 kBChecksum SHA-512
e1b79e626222df09de9f020fceb9119cc42df3c116e01c9eaa6beaea26873c37dd27c96bc5dff7c63e7e46cdd3aff1ab560c3d8af6d1f31711ae9c3b752096e4
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

By organisation
School of Informatics
Information Systems, Social aspects

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Total: 335 downloads
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

urn-nbn

Altmetric score

urn-nbn
Total: 434 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • apa-cv
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf