When tasked to create a game that introduces cybersecurity literacy concepts in an engaging way, Javel Rowe recalled a friend’s wish for cybersecurity information tailored for their career field without the window dressing of tech-heavy language.
So, Rowe submitted Cybersecurity 101, a choose-your-own-adventure game that introduces people without a technical background to cybersecurity concepts. His submission took fourth place in the Secureworks® Cybersecurity Literacy Challenge.
The challenge was an 8-week competition borne out of partnership between Secureworks and the Devpost community and platform which awarded $30,000 in total prizes to winners and saw 350 registrants.
Judges enjoyed Cybersecurity 101 for its varied player profile types and the easy flow of gameplay.
“This game was just fabulous. It was beautifully set out, clear and accessible to use. You could easily identify the flow of the game and steps you had to follow, with clear cyber literacy questions and answers presented throughout. It was a joy to test and play. I look forward to seeing the rest of the profile types built and see the game progress more!” said a contest judge.
The Secureworks editorial team sat down with Rowe recently to discuss his game. This Q&A is the fourth in a series of interviews that share some insights on our Cybersecurity Literacy Challenge winners, their projects, and what they hope other players can learn from their work.
Q. What is your background in game development and/or in cybersecurity?
Javel Rowe: My background in game development is pretty minimal. I've only worked on a basic version of Dino Run and a choose your adventure game for a course I did in college. For cybersecurity, I had an amazing lecturer for a Computer Security course in college that introduced me to a lot of concepts and I'm currently studying for the Security+ cert.
Q. What was your inspiration for the game?
Javel Rowe: I was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend about how complicated cybersecurity seems to them. Their problem was that there's a lot of content about cybersecurity out there, but it doesn't feel as if anything was tailored specifically to non-tech career fields.
Q. What aspect of security do you hope your game will teach the public?
Javel Rowe: I hope that my game will teach the public some basic steps they can take right now to increase their protection. There are more advanced techniques, but I believe small steps such as setting up two-factor authentication, not clicking strange links and others can make a huge difference.
Check out Cybersecurity 101 here: Cybersecurity 101 for everyone
You Might also Like
- Tags:
- Blog