Teaching Gamified Cybersecurity Using the Metaverse: Challenges and Opportunities

The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes to how educational institutions deal with instructional strategies. While some found platforms like Zoom, WebEx, and Google Classroom adequate, others sought solutions that could facilitate hands-on interactions typically found in physical classrooms, while minimizing distractions and engagement issues associated with traditional remote meeting tools. In response, the paper introduces and assesses a method for delivering gamified Cybersecurity courses through an escape-the-classroom model in a blended physio-digital environment inspired by the Metaverse. The paper begins by examining the latest developments in virtual learning ecosystems and outlining the rationale for a proposed Metaverse classroom. Our focus is on a specific model designed to enhance Cybersecurity education through gamification within the Metaverse. The paper also provides detailed evaluation metrics addressing immediate challenges related to this approach and suggest future research directions aimed at transforming conventional Cybersecurity classrooms into engaging, gamified remote learning experiences in the Metaverse.