Video games have always been seen as a means of entertainment and relaxation, but their scope goes far beyond these playful aspects. Many video games, such as Stellaris, Planet Zoo, Age of Empires, Frostpunk, City of Gangsters, City Skylines, TotalWar and Dead Space, have many links with the cyber issues facing organizations and businesses.
In this article, we'll explore how these video games offer unique experiences that have an impact on ergonomics, awareness, training and skills development related to today's cyber issues.
Stellaris: strategy and (space) exploration
Stellaris is a space strategy game where players must manage an intergalactic empire. To achieve this, an intuitive user interface enables them to make quick, informed decisions and access relevant information. This monitoring, detection and management of threats is also crucial in cybersecurity: such an ergonomic interface is therefore necessary to enable professionals to react effectively to potential attacks.
Another aspect of the game is that players not only have to deal with threats from other alien civilizations, but also from other players, requiring strategic vision and the ability to anticipate opponents' attacks. In cybersecurity, professionals must also adopt a proactive approach to threat detection and vulnerability management to counter potential attacks before they cause damage.
Knowing how to manage resources is essential to the development and survival of an empire. It's the same for companies, who need to allocate their resources efficiently in order to implement adequate security measures and protect their IT systems and data.
Stellaris gameplay also allows players to form alliances with other galactic empires. And when two players form an alliance, proper training and communication are required to coordinate the armies' actions in the face of external threats. The same applies to cybersecurity teams, who need to collaborate and keep abreast of new attack methods to better protect IT infrastructures.
Finally, Stellaris rewards proactivity and territory expansion. It's essential not to rest on one's laurels, at the risk of losing ground to one's adversaries. In cybersecurity, the ability to anticipate new emerging threats and explore new approaches to data protection is necessary to always be one step ahead of cyber-attackers.
Planet Zoo: simulation and management of a (zoological) park
Following in the footsteps of Planet Coaster (developed by Frontier Developments), Planet Zoo lets you create a park that is both a haven of peace for the animals and a true place of enchantment for visitors. And even if, at first glance, an animal park simulator has little to do with cybersecurity, a closer look reveals some interesting synergies.
In Planet Zoo, players are faced with a complex interface to build and manage their animal park. Game ergonomics are therefore a key factor in ensuring a smooth, enjoyable gaming experience. In cybersecurity, it's the same: an interface that's too complex and difficult to read can easily get in the way of vulnerability detection and risk management (or worse, it could even lead to human error!).
As a result, the player must often be attentive to the needs and well-being of the animals in his park. He must monitor their health, their diet, their environment, and make sure they live in suitable conditions. And to keep the zoo running smoothly on a daily basis, staff must be hired and trained.
Similarly, cybersecurity professionals must always be on the alert for potential vulnerabilities and threats to IT systems. They must ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to guarantee data security and integrity. For their part, companies need to train their employees to be aware of cyber risks, and to apply good IT security practices.
Finally, one of the main lessons to be learned from Planet Zoo is that prevention is key. If the player doesn't take care of his park and anticipate potential problems (animal needs, environment, qualified personnel...), disastrous situations can arise. Just as in cybersecurity, where prevention is paramount. Every organization must therefore take proactive measures to protect itself from cyber threats, rather than reacting to attacks once they have occurred (this is the principle of the principle of cyber-resilience prevention rather than cure).
Age of Empires: real-time strategy
The Age of Empire game and cybersecurity have many aspects in common, making it easy to understand the importance of mapping your IT environment, with a view to better protecting yourself against threats and viruses.
In this strategy game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios, resource management is essential, as each player must use his resources efficiently to develop his civilization, train units, construct buildings to defend himself, research technologies...
At the start of the game, the player (thanks to his scout - cavalry unit) must explore shadowy areas on the map, in order to discover new resources (food, wood, gold, stone, for example) and locate his opponent. The objective? Get a better view of your surroundings on the map, so you can build, protect and secure the area around your village.
To draw a parallel with cybersecurity, mapping your information system gives you an overview of all its components, and makes it easier to understand by presenting it from several angles.
Finally, in Age of Empires, players must be ready to face the unknown, explore new territories, and deal with potential surprise attacks from adversaries. In cybersecurity, it's also the ability to anticipate emerging threats and adapt quickly to new attack methods that will determine the ability of professionals to protect their information systems against data breaches, intrusions, damage or theft.
Frostpunk: community survival
When you plunge into the icy world of Frostpunk, a survival game by 11 bit studios, you're faced with challenges that go far beyond simple virtual dilemmas:
- Managing limited resources: In Frostpunk, you must carefully manage your resources to ensure the survival of your colony. Similarly, in cybersecurity, organizations must allocate their resources wisely to protect their systems and data from potential threats.
- Prioritizing needs: In the game, you have to make tough decisions to meet the essential needs of your colony, while managing moral dilemmas. In cybersecurity, you also have to prioritize, identifying the most critical assets to protect and balancing security measures with operational imperatives.
- Crisis resilience: Frostpunk highlights the need to maintain your colony's resilience in the face of extreme weather conditions. For their part, organizations must also be prepared to resist and recover quickly from attacks and incidents.
- Internal conflict management: In-game, managing tensions and conflicts between colony members is crucial to maintaining order. In cybersecurity, managing internal conflicts and security policies is essential to avoid breaches caused by internal malicious actors.
- Anticipating threats: You need to anticipate future challenges and plan accordingly: anticipating new attack methods and emerging vulnerabilities is crucial to maintaining a solid security posture.
- Constant adaptation: In Frostpunk, as in cybersecurity, you need to adapt to changing situations, where security measures must evolve in line with new threats and technological advances.
- Consequences of decisions: Your choices in Frostpunk have long-term consequences. And in cybersecurity, too, security decisions can impact an organization's protection against digital threats.
Video games and cybersecurity: what synergies?
Although video games and cybersecurity are apparently two different fields, many parallels can be drawn between the two: resource management, prioritization of needs, the role of interface and ergonomics, and constant adaptation to one's environment all serve common interests.
Ultimately, if video games are a means of entertainment, they are also a logical source of inspiration for rethinking our approach to cybersecurity: they remind us that anticipation and prevention are key, and that collaboration and adaptation are essential to addressing cyber threats.
And just as you can't counter extraterrestrial threats without a space fleet, manage a wildlife park without nursing staff, or explore a map without a scout; all these elements are sine qua non conditions for defending and developing yourself, and maintaining the quality and integrity of information systems.
