HackShield and Garage 2020 worked together to create an enhanced more inclusive version of HackShield that aligns with the needs of children of all kinds.

In collaboration with children in special education, HackShield and Garage2020 have developed innovative interventions to make HackShield in the Class more widely accessible. Tim Murck: “HackShield’s goal is to create a more cybersafe world for as many children as possible. While many children are already able to play HackShield, we want to be accessible for ALL children. Therefore, we are very happy to work with Garage 2020 to make our game more accessible to children of all kinds”. 

The report

Garage 2020 (in cooperation with pupils, teachers and experts) tested the game and wrote a report in which it presented where the game could improve. The report showed that to make the game more accessible for special need children, some feature changes were needed to improve the game for assisting teachers.  Firstly, more visual representation of language was needed to make the game easier to understand and to give the player more time to read what is happening in the game. Secondly, the teacher wanted to be able to dictate the tempo of the game themselves, so that they could stop when the class was losing interest without losing progress. Lastly some explanatory features were needed to help teachers work through the basics of the game and to enhance the interplay in order to give children a leading role in the game. 

Based on the feedback in the report, the HackShield developers implemented new game features and changes that make the game more accessible and easier to use for teachers. Garage 2020 tested the changes and found that the game with the added features was now way more accessible for children of all kinds and therefore more inclusive.  

Further cooperation

Tim Murck: “Garage 2020 showed us that there’s always room for improvement. The report showed us where we needed to change things for the better. Our cooperation with Garage 2020 is something we value highly and we hope to continue this in the future to make the most educational, most fun and most accessible game we can”.

Garage2020: "We see great potential in Hackshield's approach: shifting roles with children as heroes, using a design and language they relate to. Partnering with Hackshield allows us to employ innovative tools for enhancing resilience in vulnerable children proactively and positively."

For more information on HackShield go to joinhackshield.com