Secret Hacker: A Learning-Based Cybersecurity Game for Group-Based Settings

Secret Hacker is a card-based cybersecurity training game adapted from the social-deduction game Secret Hitler, designed to teach players to distinguish safe from risky online behaviours across password, phishing, and secure-browsing topics. Its 51 behaviour cards are intended primarily for school-aged children learning in group settings. The work argues for a "Learning-Based Games" approach, which begins with an existing engaging game and layers in educational content. The authors contend this strategy can lower development costs and sustain engagement better than traditional training or gamified approaches that tend to sacrifice either enjoyment or substance.

The evidence presented is preliminary. A focus group of six participants, mostly adults and four of them staff members, rated enjoyment at 8.8/10 and learning potential at 7/10, though the author acknowledges the learning score may be inflated. Rules comprehension emerged as an early obstacle. Proposed refinements include clearer rules, more structured post-round discussion, and replacing workplace-oriented cards with child-appropriate scenarios, reflecting a mismatch between the initial audience and the intended one. The author concludes that the game shows promise but that claims about educational impact and behaviour change remain unverified, requiring a larger study with children.

The paper's motivation rests on the scale of the problem, drawing on sources such as a 2024 finding that 72% of children worldwide have experienced at least one cyber threat and the World Economic Forum's 2022 Global Risks Report. It situates the game within prior educational cybersecurity work, including Anti-Phishing Phil and a collectible card game for cybersecurity learning. Overall, the contribution is best understood as an early design proposal and feasibility assessment rather than a validated intervention.