Simon Gibbs & Devika Gibbs -- Building Bridges with Games

Security education often struggles because the people in the room are being talked at instead of invited to participate. Simon and Devika Gibbs, the duo behind CyberSec Games, explain how tabletop games can turn abstract security concepts into shared experiences that connect developers, security practitioners, and business teams. They trace their path from agile stationery into threat-modeling games, describe what they learned from Elevation of Privilege and OWASP Cornucopia, and discuss the community that helped shape their work. The pair also introduce the Cybersecurity Game Challenge, including who can enter, how ideas are judged, and what winning makes possible. Their larger argument is simple: play lowers barriers, creates conversation, and can make difficult security lessons memorable enough to change behavior.Today's episode is brought to you by Security Journey.About Security JourneyOur education platform teaches valuable secure coding skills based on real-world vulnerabilities and threats, including the OWASP Top 10.→ Learn more about Security JourneyConnect with Simon and Devika Gibbs:→ Simon Gibbs on LinkedIn→ Devika Gibbs on LinkedIn→ CyberSec GamesMentioned in this episode:→ CyberSec Games→ Cybersecurity Game Challenge→ Elevation of Privilege→ OWASP Cornucopia→ Threat Modeling Manifesto→ Adam Shostack→ EU Cyber Resilience ActFollow the Application Security Podcast:➜ Home➜ X➜ LinkedIn➜ YouTube➜ Instagram➜ FacebookChapters:00:00 Meet Simon and Devika Gibbs02:39 From business analysis to game design05:36 Printing the Threat Modeling Manifesto06:27 What is CyberSec Games?08:38 Games bring people together11:13 A welcome from the security community14:34 Building bridges across disciplines18:00 Discovering Elevation of Privilege19:35 The return on a simple card deck22:45 How popular are security games?26:21 The Cybersecurity Game Challenge28:43 Judges and community contributors30:33 What can the winner receive?32:12 A future security-game reality show33:29 How and when to enter35:07 The audience homework assignment