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Redefine Paradigms

Cybersecurity games help a growing number of individuals realize that cybersecurity goes beyond initial thoughts of IT security controls by delving deeper into motives, tactics, techniques, and multi-pivot strategies. It helps us see that cybersecurity is about motives not just controls.

Drive More Diversity

Games remove the stigma of stereotypes associated with cybersecurity and open a path for players from all kinds of backgrounds, nationalities, education levels, and age groups to learn and grow. This infusion of diverse skills and mindware will contribute to up-leveling our cybersecurity workforce.

Go Beyond Technical

Games adjust to all skill levels and types. While red versus blue remains a favorite format, today's games can also be focused on policy, forensic puzzles, clue-based escape rooms, and jeopardy questions. This variety trains the workforce for defense in depth and breadth to enable comprehensive risk strategies.

Increase the Talent Pool

Today's games can be played across a wide variety of digital platforms with some games only requiring a cell phone to participate. This ubiquitous access enables an extended population of individuals from all age groups, economic backgrounds, and skill levels to learn, compete, and grow.

Immersive Training Experience

Today's cyber strategies are about more than just finding needles in haystacks, they are about visibility into and across the surface of the haystack. Unlike traditional classroom teachings and labs, games can provide more real-life, immersive experiences that help athletes experience indicators and threats, and respond through hands-on application of tools, techniques and mitigations.

Safe Places to Attack & Defend

Ever wonder why, after spending millions of dollars trying to address the cyber workforce gap, it remains years later? Security professionals lack the ability to test and stretch their skills and learn a new environment with different defenses and threats. Games offer safe and legal environments to experiment, train and learn amongst peers and mentors.

Teamwork, Sportsmanship, and Strategy

While Hollywood likes to emphasize the lone hacker taking over the world, the reality is that cyber attack and defense are team activities. Both benefit from the power of a community-based team effort by choosing to share, contribute, and collaborate to achieve a goal or just learn something new.

In their Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) recognizes that those performing cybersecurity work—including students, job seekers, and early professionals—"are lifelong learners throughout their efforts to emphasize and address cybersecurity implications across many domains.” (NICE Framework)

The US Cyber Games is designed to apply the NICE Framework from the start to identify, assess, select, and form the US Cyber Team.

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