"We try to hit as many events as possible," Fite explains. "However, we are constrained by time and budget. In order to get more coverage, we sanction some CTF games and run remote games. In addition, we have started building regional franchises. This builds local and global teams for league play - expanding the sport in a cost effective and sustainable way."

Private battles are also organized. The PacketWars platform is often used for training, team-building or QA/product testing sessions. It is a great environment for honing offensive and defensive computing skills and capabilities. Fite is of the opinion that PacketWars could create more and better "cyber warriors" in a shorter period of time than the current practices.



"We have players who work in government or law enforcement roles," he says. "I know of several people who have referenced their involvement with PacketWars on their CV's and still got hired. I like to think it is viewed as a positive indication of a candidates experience." In this day and age when various government agencies around the world are trying to attract knowledgeable individuals that could defend the country's cyberspace if the need arises, I must say that I think he's right.


And PacketWars has the potential of being not only a fun and educational experience for the players, but also to inspire in spectators a wish to learn more about the techniques used and about cyber security in general. All Battles are recorded - audio, video and complete telemetry - and this content is presented to the public under a Creative Commons license.

"We are trying to expand the appeal outside of the current demographic. We want people to care about the players. So, we have experimented with different formats. Some at live events. Others post production," Fite explains their future plans. "We think the key to taking it to the next level is attracted a non-technical audience. After all, you don't have to drive fast to enjoy FormulaOne."