A Novel Framework for the Development of Age Appropriate Information Security Serious Games

Abstract

Serious games have been shown to be an effective tool when teaching information security concepts to children and adults alike. However, due to the different ways in which people learn during different stages of their life, developing effective games for children can be a non-trivial task. In this paper, a novel framework is introduced that aims to simplify the process of developing serious games for children by making use of well-known developmental psychology principles. The framework is based on Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development, as well as Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. Both of these theories are well-known within the field of developmental psychology, and have been shown to be valid in prior studies. To validate the proposed framework, a number of existing serious games from the literature is used in order to determine if the framework could have been used to develop the extant games. The framework, developed from a psychological basis, matches the games found in the literature. This suggests that the framework is a valid approach when developing age appropriate information security games.