On Wednesday 16 October 2024, WIDE ANDCO announced the launch of Hackenator.lu, a free educational video game designed to raise awareness of cybersecurity issues among teenagers aged thirteen to sixteen.
By immersing themselves in the world of Techropolis, young people can learn basic cybersecurity concepts, such as protecting their data and defending themselves against cyber threats, deep fakes and AI-related issues. This game, which combines learning and entertainment, aims to reinforce the digital skills that are deemed essential in the digital age.
During Cyber Security Awareness Month, and on the first day of the Libre Office & Open Source conference on Thursday 10 October 2024, the WIDE ANDCO team and the Luxembourg Media and Digital Design Centre (LMDDC) took the opportunity to highlight their educational game hackenator.lu. Supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), this game, available in English, French and German, aims to educate teenagers about the basic concepts of digital and online security.
Through immersive missions, players follow a group of heroes, the Hackenators, as they defend the virtual city of Techropolis against attacks from the Binary Shadows, a group of malicious hackers. Each mission tackles a key aspect of cybersecurity, where they can learn how to protect their personal data, avoid online traps, guard against attacks and deep fakes and also discover the organisations and initiatives that exist in Luxembourg to help them answer their questions or deal with cyberbullying.
The gameplay is designed to be accessible and engaging, with different levels of difficulty for different missions, interactive mini-games and built-in learning cards to reinforce young people's knowledge as they progress.
WIDE ANDCO noted that Hackenator.lu targets teenagers, a group that is particularly vulnerable to online dangers because of their hyper-connectedness. The game is also considered a valuable tool for teachers and parents wishing to raise awareness of digital safety among young people. On Friday 11 October 2024, WIDE ANDCO organised a workshop for teachers and parents to present the tool and its potential for use in the classroom or at home.
The educational dimension of the game was approved by an advisory board made up of experts in Luxembourg such as Pascal Steichen (House of Cybersecurity), Krystina Gray (Women Cyber Force), Benjamin Joly (NC3 Luxembourg), Benoit Fortemps (Lycée des Arts et Métiers, BTS), Cédric Mauny (Telindus) and Merlin Rastoder (BEE SECURE), among others. According to WIDE ANDCO, they played a key role in developing the content of the game and their expertise ensured that the educational material in the game was relevant and impactful. Moreover, the participation of several schools (Athénée de Luxembourg, Luxembourg Tech School, Lycée Guillaume Kroll and Lycée des Arts et Métiers) in the content testing and validation process ensured that the content was relevant to its target audience.
