Using Game-Based Learning to teach Young People about Privacy and Online Safety.

Abstract

Game-based learning can be a useful tool for increasing engagement in topics that are typically not related to games such as privacy and staying safe online, yet, very few games exist that look at how we can passively teach audiences how to stay safe online. This paper presents a bespoke board game about privacy and online safety, aimed at young people aged 16-25, to help them safely navigate the online world and understand the privacy consequences of their actions. Using a Case Study methodology, this paper covers development of the prototype game, a Snakes and Ladders/Trivial Pursuit (Haspro, 1999) style game about online scams, trolls, cyberbullying and other areas of digital safety. We also explain how the game questions were created, and the development and testing of the game itself. We trialled the game through a series of focus groups, and found that young people passively learn how to stay safe online in a fun and interactive manner through playing the game. This makes the game an effective way to teach young people about the dangers of cyberspace in a safe, non-threatening manner, thereby demonstrating how an interactive game about digital privacy and online safety, can be used to more effectively protect young people from the many dangers of cyberspace.