Immersive uses gamification to make cybersecurity learning engaging and fun. Earn points by completing labs based on their difficulty level (10 to 1000+ points). Collect badges by completing lab collections, with special pioneer badges for being first in your organization. Compete on three types of leaderboards (my team, all teams, my organization) to track your progress against peers. Build streaks to maintain consistent learning habits. Share your achievements on social media and display your growing cybersecurity expertise.
Why gamification matters
How many times have you endured a dry PowerPoint presentation or clicked through a learning course only to realize, despite hours of 'teaching,' you remember virtually nothing?
At Immersive, we understand what it takes to engage a workforce – and part of that is making learning fun. We employ gamification to get our users hooked on building cyber skills, because learners who are engaged with their learning medium retain more information.
Our gamification system includes several interconnected mechanics that work together to motivate, recognize, and reward your learning journey:
- Points - Quantify your skill development and lab completion
- Badges - Recognize collection completion and specialized achievements
- Pioneer Status - Honor being first in your organization to complete collections
- Leaderboards - Enable friendly competition at team and organizational levels
- Streaks - Encourage consistent learning habits
- Social Sharing - Showcase your achievements to your professional network
Together, these elements create an engaging learning environment that keeps you motivated while building real cybersecurity capabilities.
Understanding points
When you complete labs on the Immersive platform, you earn points. Points allocated to each lab are determined based on difficulty level and learning outcomes.
How points work
Each lab has a difficulty level dependent on content complexity. The higher the difficulty level, the more points you will gain when completing it. Difficulty is subjective and will largely depend on your previous experience.
There are nine difficulty levels on our platform, ranging from complete beginner to expert-level challenges.
Difficulty levels and point values
The following table shows the breakdown of difficulty levels, their point values, and what to expect from each:
| Difficulty Level | Points per Lab | Description |
| 1 | 10 | These labs require no previous experience. They're ideal for complete beginners, with no need to access external resources. |
| 2 | 20 | These labs rely on simple terminology and signposted resources. They're a good starting point for those with limited IT experience. |
| 3 | 40 | These labs require perseverance and a little research. They're ideal for newcomers who are keen to progress or those with limited cyber knowledge. |
| 4 | 100 | For those interested in getting hands-on with more practical labs, these labs require basic technical knowledge and practical skills. They're most suited to those who want to expand existing knowledge. |
| 5 | 200 | These labs involve research and analytical thinking. General experience in system and networking concepts is required. |
| 6 | 300 | These labs require an existing understanding of IT, networking, and coding concepts. They are ideal for those already in or transitioning into cyber roles. |
| 7 | 400 | These labs are for experienced users that already understand one or more aspects of cybersecurity. |
| 8 | 600 | These labs are suitable for users familiar with various cybersecurity skills and concepts who have deep knowledge in one or more areas; for example, red or blue team members. |
| 9 | 1000+ | Not for the faint of heart! These labs are guest-authored by industry experts and will challenge you unlike anything else on our platform. |
Where to see your points
You can view the points you'll earn before starting a lab, displayed on each lab card:
You can see your total points earned on the platform in several locations:
- Your profile: Navigate to your profile icon in the top right corner of the main navigation bar and select 'Settings'
- Leaderboards: Your point total is displayed alongside your ranking position
- Profile badge: Visible on your profile page
Points enable you to compete with your peers on your organization's leaderboard. Watch yourself progress as your points increase every time you complete a lab.
Badges and recognition
Badges are special awards that recognize your completion of lab collections and career paths. They serve as visible proof of your growing expertise in specific cybersecurity domains.
How to earn badges
Badges are awarded whenever a collection of labs is completed. This includes:
- Lab collections - Curated groups of labs organized by topic or skill area
- Career path collections - Comprehensive learning paths aligned to specific cybersecurity roles
- Custom collections - Collections created by your organization's managers
Badge completion requirements
There are two types of collection completion requirements:
Full collection completion
Most collections require you to complete all the labs to earn a badge. For these, you'll receive:
- Points for each individual lab as you complete them
- A badge when you finish the entire collection
Demonstrate lab completion
Some collections only require you to complete the final "Demonstrate" lab to earn the badge. In this case:
- You receive the badge for completing the demonstrate lab
- You only receive points for the demonstrate lab itself
- Completing the preceding "Coach" labs earns additional points but isn't required for the badge
Example: The badge for the 'AI Knowledge Pass”' collection depicted below could have been earned by the user only completing the final lab: 'Demonstrate Your Knowledge"'. In this case, only 200 points would be earned.
However, if the user completed the first seven labs of the collection also (as shown below), completing the final demonstrate lab and earning the badge would earn them 1,060 points in total.
Pioneer badges: being first
If you complete a lab or collection before anyone else in your organization, you will be awarded a special pioneer badge and listed as a "pioneer" for that content permanently.
Pioneer status recognizes your initiative in exploring new content and comes with eternal glory within your organization. Pioneer badges are displayed alongside your regular badges in your achievements section.
Viewing and sharing your achievements
The Achievements section is your personal showcase where you can view all the badges you have earned and share them with your professional network.
Accessing your achievements
You can access your achievements page in two ways:
Option 1: via profile menu
Navigate to your profile icon (round icon on the far right in the main navigation menu) and select 'Achievements' in the dropdown:
Option 2: via upskill menu
Navigate to 'Upskill' in the main navigation menu and select 'Achievements' in the 'My Progress' area:
Browsing your achievements
The Achievements page displays all your earned badges, including both career paths and lab collections. You can:
- Filter by content category - View badges from specific areas like Offensive Cyber, Defensive Cyber, Application Security, etc.
- Search for specific achievements - Find particular badges quickly
- View achievement details - See difficulty level, average time spent, points achieved, and completion date
Sharing your achievements
You can share your badges with your professional network to showcase your cybersecurity expertise. There are two opportunities to share:
Share upon completion
You can share achievements on your socials as soon as a badge is unlocked, right when you complete the lab:
Share from achievements page
Select any achievement to view its details. You'll see sharing options under 'Share this achievement with your network':
Sharing options:
- LinkedIn - Share directly to your LinkedIn profile
- X- Post to your “For You” feed
- URL - Copy a link to share on other platforms or add to your resume
Sharing your achievements helps demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and your growing cybersecurity capabilities to employers, colleagues, and the broader security community.
Leaderboards and competition
Leaderboards provide rankings to help you get in the competitive spirit. Points earned by completing labs help you climb the leaderboard and compete with your peers at multiple levels.
Accessing leaderboards
You can access the leaderboards in three ways:
- Via Profile menu: Navigate to your Profile icon in the main navigation bar on the far right and select 'Leaderboard'
- Via Upskill menu: Navigate to 'Upskill' in the main navigation menu and select 'Leaderboard' found in the 'My Progress' area
- Via Launchpad: Your organization's leaderboard is also displayed on the Launchpad under the section showcasing your profile
Three types of leaderboards
The platform offers three types of leaderboards that allow you to compete at different organizational levels:
1. My team leaderboard
If you're a part of any teams, you'll see your team name and a leaderboard consisting of your team members. You can see where you rank within your team, allowing you to compete directly against your immediate colleagues.
Who sees this: Anyone assigned to one or more teams
2. All teams leaderboard
Organization Managers or Administrators may have grouped individuals into various teams based on their skill level, role in the organization, or location. The all teams leaderboard lists all the groups set up in your organization, allowing you to see how your team ranks against other teams.
Who sees this: Organizations with multiple teams configured
3. My organization leaderboard
Here, you'll be ranked against everyone in your organization, allowing you to compete at the organizational level. This leaderboard shows you where you stand among all learners in your company.
Who sees this: Everyone in your organization
How leaderboards work
- Rankings are based on points - The more labs you complete, especially higher-difficulty labs, the higher you'll rank
- Updated in real-time - Your position changes as you and others complete labs
- Encourage friendly competition - See your progress relative to peers and teams
- Motivate consistent learning - Regular engagement helps maintain or improve your position
Building streaks
Streaks encourage you to specify and complete a number of labs every week, helping you build consistent learning habits.
How streaks work
- Set a personal goal for how many labs you want to complete each week
- Track your progress toward that goal throughout the week
- Maintain your streak by meeting your goal consistently
- Build momentum and develop a regular learning routine
Accessing streak settings
You can view and adjust your streak goals in two locations:
- Launchpad: Select 'Streak Settings' in the streaks area of the Launchpad
- Profile: Navigate to your profile and select the 'Streaks' tab (you can also disable the feature here if preferred)
Customizing your streak goal
You can adjust your weekly lab completion goal to match:
- Your available time for learning
- Your current skill level and lab difficulty preferences
- Your personal or organizational learning objectives
- Your work schedule and other commitments
Tip: Start with a manageable goal and increase it as you build the habit. Consistent completion of smaller goals is better than frequently missing ambitious targets.
For more information on streaks, read the My Profile guide.
Managing your visibility settings
You have control over whether you appear on leaderboards and how your profile is visible to others in your organization.
Leaderboard visibility
You can opt in or out of appearing on leaderboards at any time.
To change your visibility:
- Navigate to your profile by clicking your profile icon on the far right of the main navigation menu
- Select 'Settings'
- Find the 'Let Other People See my Details' option
- Toggle this setting based on your preference:
- Enabled (selected): You will appear on all applicable leaderboards
- Disabled (not selected): Your profile will not appear on any leaderboards
Why visibility matters
- Opting in allows you to participate in friendly competition, demonstrate your progress to managers, and contribute to team rankings
- Opting out lets you focus on personal learning without comparison pressure while still earning points and badges
Note: Even if you opt out of leaderboards, your points, badges, and achievements are still tracked on your profile for your own reference and for sharing externally.
Summary: making the most of gamification
The gamification features on Immersive work together to create an engaging, motivating learning experience:
- Points provide immediate feedback and quantify your progress
- Badges recognize significant milestones and collection completion
- Pioneer status rewards early adopters and explorers
- Achievements give you a portfolio of proven skills to share
- Leaderboards add friendly competition and context for your progress
- Streaks help you build consistent learning habits
Together, these elements transform cybersecurity training from a chore into an engaging journey of skill development and professional growth.