What happens when you let students think like a hacker? At Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, they take that challenge literally. Instead of starting the academic year with textbooks and presentations, over 100 students step into the world of cybercrime. With Cyber Crime Game, they choose an interactive, thrilling, and educational experience that sets the tone for their digital awareness.
Name: Ruben Julen
Role: Lecturer-Researcher in Digital Business
Within the Career Academy, we were looking for an interactive way to kick off the new school year. With 100 students from Business Administration and Human Resource programs, we wanted to send a clear message: cybersecurity isn’t just for IT professionals — it concerns everyone. Cyber Crime Game aligned perfectly with our information security module and our commitment to practical, high-impact learning formats.
Raise awareness among students who often view cybersecurity as something distant and irrelevant. We want to show that digital threats affect everyone — especially in business and HR contexts. No dry theory, but an experience that sticks and sparks discussion. That’s why we’re integrating the game into our curriculum and using it as our school year kickoff.
We don’t just want students to learn what cybercrime is — we want them to understand how it works. By stepping into the hacker’s mindset, they truly begin to grasp the risks. We expect high engagement, surprise, and new insights — even among harder-to-reach students. The game’s interactive and competitive design ensures active participation and encourages students to connect theory with practice. We believe it will not only deepen knowledge, but also shift attitudes toward digital security.
The game is scheduled for September 2025. One thing is certain: this won’t be a typical school day. We intentionally chose gamification because we believe in learning through experience. With Cyber Crime Game, we make cybersecurity relevant, tangible, and unforgettable — from day one.
