4.  Building a national team

The U.S. Cyber Games, launched this year, recruits cybersecurity talent from ages 16-24 for a team that competes on the international stage. To pick players for the first U.S. Cyber team, the organization held a series of cybersecurity competitions called the U.S. Cyber Open. About 700 “cyber athletes” participated in the games, with one group invited back to participate in training dubbed the “U.S. Cyber Combine.” The team is run through a partnership between the esports management company PlayCyber and the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education. Team members selected for the team are scheduled to compete in Athens, Greece, at the end of the year.

Colleges and universities can bolster players’ skills by offering cybersecurity clubs at a school level — a player selected for the national team from the University of North Georgia said participation in the school’s Cyber Club prepared him to compete.