While everyone is eating left-over turkey and relaxing for the holidays. One way to keep a group of geeks smiling is to keep them busy gaming and using their knowledge How about an open-source board game? Maybe one that deals with network security?
If you need a new options to add to your non-video game nights and have burnt out on the fictional cyberpunk dystopia of Netrunner or want to move to a game more based in reality, Matt Leacock has created something you should check out. Called d0x3d!, the game not only aims to be fun, but to introduce people to network security terminology, as well as basic security constructs and attack-and-defend mechanics.
The d0x3d! was inspired by Forbidden Island, a title from 2010 that is simple but versatile enough to be played either by yourself or with up to four players. Leacock’s d0x3d! comes in two editions: the Standard version that comes with everything you need to play in a “handsome” box, or the No Frills version, which comes with everything you need to play, but without the organizational box inserts and instruction manual.
The gameplay seems simple enough. In fact, it was easily explained in the five minute video above (though actually interacting with a game generally helps teach it more than watching a video does). If you’re a teacher that’s skeptical of using a board game as an educational material, the d0x3d! site has a page with a few ideas that could make the game seem more legitimate in your eyes, such as using the game to help discuss and learn network topology.
You can buy d0x3d! here; however, the game is open-source, so you can head on over to GitHub and freely download all the materials required to play.
Reblogged from: geek.com
