Level up your character

Difficulty level — hard
3months
9specialists
Choose your fighter! Invite employees to immerse in working in a virtual company where they can choose their roles: manager, chief financial officer, IT specialist, product manager, or accountant. The employee should choose his/her character at the beginning when starting the simulation. Such an immersion helps each participant to understand what risks and in what job positions he/she can face while working, as well as how to interact with departments in case of a real cyberattack. For the players to feel the increase in their level of knowledge, launch a cyberattack on the company right after the team is formed. Further, during the game, employees will undergo training, learning the latest news, and boosting their skills. A cyberattack can be launched an unlimited number of times throughout the game to determine the directions and topics the team and individual players need to level up. The simulation can be divided into several stages according to the types of cyberattacks, the extent of the damage, and potential consequences.

Results

Employees will become more aware of cybersecurity
Cyberattack simulator-based training will immerse employees in cyberculture and help them prevent possible risks.
Cyberattacks preparedness will improve
Such immersion of employees in the threats related to the company's cybersecurity allows, on the one hand, to provide real examples of losses an organization can suffer if an employee is unable or unaware of how to react correctly to cyberattacks, and on the other hand, how to properly develop a system of interaction with responsible departments for the fastest and least painful problem-solving.
Cross-functional collaboration will improve
If the simulation is organized among employees of different departments, this will contribute to the teamwork development due to the closer acquaintance of colleagues in the search for solutions.
Number of incidents will reduce
Learning from practical examples will reduce the number of cyber threat-related incidents.

Key Performance Indicators

NPS of simulation participants
Measure the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The metric shows the participants' willingness to recommend the simulator-assisted learning to other employees. The higher the players' level of satisfaction, the higher the NPS. If NPS is above 7, everything is done correctly.
Number of incidents
Such a training format will help to reduce the number of cyberattack incidents within the company. Measure this metric before and after the training. The result will be visible in about a month after the training. If the number of incidents has decreased, the training is working correctly.
Decision-making time
During the simulation, each new decision on cybersecurity will be made by the players faster than the previous one. It means the tool is working properly.
Number of correctly made decisions
If the simulation is methodologically correct, the playthrough quality will increase with each new simulation.
Number of participants
If the simulation is organized correctly and brings tangible benefits to employees, you will see a monthly increase in the number of users participating in the simulation.
Number of reposts
If you provide users with the ability to share the results on their pages of the corporate portal or social media and they start doing it, so they enjoy the simulation.

Required resources

1
Copywriter
1
Project manager
2
Developer
1
Cybersecurity methodologist
1
Analyst
1
Gamedesigner
1
UX/UI designer
1
Illustrator

Game mechanics

– Нарратив
– Очки
– Квесты
– Туториал
– Прогресс-бар
– Дерево навыков
– Достижения
– Лимит по времени

How to apply the Potion

1
Develop a methodological framework for the simulator
Describe the necessary scripts for cyberattacks and their repelling for the defense team. From 5 to 7 of these scripts will be enough to start. Then gradually add scripts updating the simulator.
2
Develop a simulator
The simulator can be either a part of a corporate educational platform or a standalone website. To undertake this task, it is worth engaging the company addressing such issues, or each of the specialists individually. It is essential to adapt methodological texts to the chosen simulator subject both in terms of copywriting and the visual component. If resources and timing permit it, it would be useful to consider and develop each character's features and communication style. For instance, a product manager can be reasonable and pleasant in communication, while a chief financial officer is always loaded with work and responds briefly. If there is no possibility to provide this functionality at the start, implement it after a while. This will help attract a new audience and engage the old one. You can give players information about the character at the beginning of the simulation before choosing the character, or provide the opportunity to take a short test at the start which will determine the closest character to the player.
3
Conduct a test run
Launch the simulator for a limited number of loyal users to identify possible deficiencies and gather the initial feedback for the necessary adjustments to the scripts or the visual component.
4
Organize a full-fledged training and monitor the indicators
Following the results of the pilot version and after eliminating the deficiencies, conduct the simulator-based employee training. The training can be either included on the list of compulsory courses or provided on the list for the employee to choose from. Based on the results of the simulation, gather feedback to determine the necessary satisfaction rate and monitor the metrics of the tool as a whole. If the metrics are not growing, try to improve the list of characters and their features and add some scripts to raise the players' interest and diversify interactions.