A game to teach network communication reliability problems and solutions

After the recent introduction of Computer Science into New Zealand High Schools, a lack of coherent resources for the new topics has created challenges for teachers and students working with the new qualifications. In response to this, a "Computer Science Field Guide" has been developed, which provides an on-line open-source "text book" that contains chapters with rich content that covers each topic required, each including videos, games and interactive applications. The Network Communication Protocols topic has been particularly difficult to cover because it is focuses on the key concepts in protocols, whereas most teaching material available is about using protocols rather than creating them. Also, the field guide takes a constructivist approach, and there is little material available that approaches the topic this way. This paper presents the research and development of a new interactive game for teaching Network Communication Protocols. Packet Attack is designed to teach key concepts around communication reliability problems and their solutions with respect to the transmission control protocol. The game has a novel approach of letting the user become the problem (unreliability of transmission) to try to prevent messages getting through, rather than them trying to solve the issues.