PhishingDefender
A Serious Game for Cyber Security.
No Engine. 100% Pure Java.
Become a
Cyber Detective
"Phishing Defender" is more than just a game. It is a mission. In a world full of digital dangers, children and teenagers (6–14 years) learn to see through hackers' tricks.
Developed as a semester project at the University of Applied Sciences Hannover.
The goal: Turn dry theory into adrenaline-pumping gameplay.
Strategic Planning
A game is not created by chance. It is created by planning.
Analysis
Target audience (6-14y) & learning goals defined.
Design
UML, Use-Cases & Paper Prototypes.
Core Impl.
Game Loop, Swing UI & Logic.
Features
Highscores, Save-System & Audio.
Polish
Animations, Testing & Release.
Use-Case Driven Development
Every feature was based on clearly defined use-cases. From "Start Game" to "Activate Firewall Bonus". This guaranteed a clear focus and prevented feature creep.
Core Loop
Play levels & analyze emails
Gamification
Activate Firewall Bonus System
Persistence
Highscore & Data Storage
The Evolution
Paper Prototype
First idea validation on paper. Focus on layout and user flow.
Final Release
Implementation in Java Swing with custom rendering and animations.
Challenges & Solutions
Real projects never run perfectly. Here is how I managed risks.
Risk: Time Overrun
12 weeks are short. There was a danger of getting lost in details ("Feature Creep") and missing the deadline.
Risk: Swing Limitations
Java Swing is old. HTML rendering and layout managers often behaved unpredictably (e.g., wrong scrollbars).
Risk: Data Loss
Danger of code loss or broken builds during the hot development phase.
Project Files
Transparency is everything. See my planning.
(Documentation created with LaTeX)
Under the Hood
Clean software architecture instead of spaghetti code.
MVC & Manager Pattern
The game is based on a strict separation of data (Model), logic (Controller), and display (View). Central Manager classes control the sub-systems.
- PhishingDefender (Main): The central controller.
- SettingsManager: Encapsulates settings & JSON storage.
- AudioEngine: RAM buffering for latency-free sound.
- IntegrityShield: Visual feedback system for lives.
Class Diagram (Excerpt of Architecture)
Mission Gallery
Insights into the gameplay.
Get the Defender
Choose your version and start the mission.
Java Edition
v2.1.0 • Universal .jar
- Windows, Mac & Linux
- Requires Java 17+
Windows Edition
Native .exe
- No installation needed
- Starts without Java setup
Source Code
GitHub Repository
- Full Access
- Assets & Documentation
# Option A: Double click on the .jar file
# Option B: Start via Terminal (for debugging)
[INFO] Loading Assets...
[SUCCESS] Phishing Defender v1.0.2 started.