Gamification Metrics CISOs Should Track During Awareness Month

October is the cybersecurity awareness month; want to capture employee attention? Gamified cybersecurity awareness campaigns have become one of the most popular ways. Leaderboards, quizzes, challenges, and simulations can turn training into something that feels less like a lecture and more like a game. And the good news is that this shift is successful when it comes to participation spikes, employees compete for points, and engagement metrics soar.

But the challenge still remains, that is, engagement does not always equal impact. Employees may be eagerly playing but still falling for phishing emails in real life; the campaign has failed to achieve the goal of actual risk reduction. Measuring activity instead of outcomes is a trap, and many organizations fall into it.  Completion rates and attendance figures may look impressive. But do they prove that employees are making safer decisions in their daily workflows? No, they don’t. 

When it comes to CISOs and InfoSec leaders, they want to unlock real value from gamification, and it lies in metrics that matter. And meaningful measurement bridges the gap between engagement and true human-layer security, helping leaders understand not just whether employees participated, but whether they changed their behavior. This shift requires a structured focus on metrics aligned with People Security Management (PSM) strategies.

Core Metrics to Track

1. Engagement Metrics

Gamification is not possible without employee interaction, but the raw participation numbers don’t tell the full story. To find out how invested employees are in the program, you need to track the following:

• Participation Rate: What percentage of employees have joined in? A 90% participation rate is of no use if the same 10% consistently opt out of the program. Such non-participation may represent the highest human-layer risk.
• Module Completion: Did employees just start, or did they finish? Drop-off rates at mid-points can indicate issues like content fatigue or unclear incentives, and must be addressed without any delay.
• Time Spent: Time spent by employees on the programs shows genuine engagement. Are employees rushing through in seconds? If yes, the activity isn’t resonating.
• Leaderboard Rankings: Competition helps in driving motivation, but at the same time, leaders should assess whether high scores are showing real comprehension or just speed clicking.

2. Behavior Metrics

The most critical measure of a gamified awareness campaign? It is whether it changes employee behavior when confronted with real-world threats.

Now let’s have a look at what the key metrics include:

• Phishing Simulation Click & Report Rates: This behaviour metric is used to track the decline in click-throughs on fake phishing. It also indicates the rise in reporting suspicious emails.
• Decision-Making Accuracy: This metric presents employees with role-specific dilemmas (e.g., approving a vendor payment or handling sensitive HR files) and measures secure choices.
• Follow-Up Action Rates: Do employees take the correct next step? For instance, did they escalate a suspicious request through secure channels? It is essential to measure this too. 

3. Learning Metrics

The purpose of gamification is to enhance knowledge retention and application of concepts. Leaders can track whether the purpose is met through:

• Quiz Scores: This metric is simple, but it is quite powerful, as quiz performance shows whether employees absorbed the content.
• Scenario-Based Performance: Unlike multiple-choice tests, scenario responses replicate actual decision-making environments, and thus, this learning metric can’t be avoided.
• Knowledge Retention Over Time: Are the employees remembering the lessons? Or, are they fading away? So, it is important to re-test after 30, 60, or 90 days to determine whether lessons “stick” or fade quickly.

4. Cultural Metrics

When it comes to a truly mature program, it looks beyond knowledge and behavior to measure security culture. Gamified campaigns can reveal whether secure habits are becoming second nature.

What are the key cultural metrics? It includes:

• Reporting Rates: It measures whether employees are voluntarily reporting suspicious incidents outside mandatory simulations. 
• Voluntary Participation: It indicates whether employees join optional challenges or only show up when required.
• Peer Visibility of Secure Behavior: This metric tracks recognition badges, team challenges, or department-wide performance to see if secure actions are celebrated and shared.

Role-Specific Insights

When analyzed through the lens of roles and responsibilities, metrics gain deeper meaning. Different functions face different risks, and it is important for CISOs to have insights into this:

• Finance Teams: Focus on susceptibility to invoice fraud or CEO impersonation scams. Metrics: reporting rate of suspicious financial requests.
• HR Teams: Target exposure to fake CVs, credential phishing, or deepfake interview requests. Metrics: decision-making accuracy in hiring scenarios.
• IT Teams: Evaluate the ability to identify privilege escalation or MFA fatigue attempts. Metrics: response time to simulated insider misuse.
• Engineering Teams: Assess secure coding practices and IP protection. Metrics: choices in version control or access management scenarios.

Integration with People Security Management (PSM)

And it is true that gamification metrics become more valuable when integrated into a PSM 

framework. Why? Because PSM ensures data isn’t siloed but actively drives human-layer risk reduction.

• TSAT (Threat Simulation & Awareness Tool): Tracks behavioral responses during phishing or BEC simulations, producing actionable risk data.
• TLMS (Threat Learning Management System): Records participation, reinforcement cycles, and learning progression across gamified modules.
• TPIR (Threat Phishing Incident Response): Measures reporting habits and provides insights into whether employees escalate correctly and quickly.

And together, these create feedback loops, as TSAT reveals weaknesses, TLMS reinforces knowledge, and TPIR validates reporting culture.

Let’s have a look at an example of an organization that integrated TSAT and TPIR. After integration, the organization discovered that while 70% of staff recognized phishing, only 40% escalated correctly. TLMS was then used to deploy microlearning focused on escalation pathways, improving results in the next quarter.

Interpreting Results and Driving Improvement

Metrics are only as valuable as the insights they generate. And for CISOs, the focus, which remains on data collection, needs to be shifted to actionable improvement.

• Identifying high-risk behaviors is important. Organizations must spot repeat offenders or departments with persistent gaps.
• Organizations need to focus on targeted coaching. As you provide 1:1 coaching or microlearning for individuals with recurring vulnerabilities.
• Improving scenario realism is crucial. If employees ace gamified content but fail real-world tests, simulations need to mirror actual attack tactics more closely.
• Organizations must link to risk reduction goals. It demonstrates ROI by tying improved metrics to fewer incidents, lower breach likelihood, and reduced recovery costs.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Even the most innovative campaigns can fail if leaders misinterpret or misuse metrics. You must avoid the following traps:

1. Over-Reliance on Participation Metrics: High completion doesn’t equal impact.
2. Ignoring Role-Specific Gaps: Aggregated results can hide vulnerable functions like HR or finance.
3. Failure to Act on Insights: Data without iteration is wasted effort.
4. Neglecting Cultural Context: Reporting metrics may vary by culture; low reporting doesn’t always mean low vigilance; it may mean lack of psychological safety.

Conclusion

You are already aware that gamification is a powerful tool, but metrics are the backbone that transforms it from fun engagement into a risk-reduction engine. For CISOs, success is not measured in leaderboards or completion certificates; it is measured in safer decisions and stronger reporting habits. 

And by tracking engagement, behavior, learning, and cultural metrics, and aligning them with PSM tools like TSAT, TLMS, and TPIR, leaders can ensure Awareness Month campaigns deliver lasting impact. Need some expert help? Get in touch with cybersecurity experts today!