Perhaps the most unique game I had the chance to check out at this year’s PAX East was NITE Team 4, a story-based hacking game from independent developer Alice & Smith. An offshoot from their persistent world ARG The Black Watchmen, NITE Team 4, focuses on electronic surveillance, information gathering, and target penetration. In other words, players become hackers, going after targets based on real-world situations.
What truly sets NITE Team 4 apart from most “hacking” games and mini-games is the focus on realistic tools and scenarios drawn from today’s headlines. Where other games present players with a glorified mini-game, NITE Team 4 utilizes a slightly simplified version of the Kali Linux distro, one of the most popular cybersecurity and penetration testing tool suites on the market.
The game sets players in the shoes of an American military cyber warfare professional, waging virtual battles against black hats working alone, or for hostile governments or corporations. Players don’t just pound the keyboard launching viruses and DDoS attacks though, there are drone strikes to manage, boots on the ground raids too coordinate, and other challenges. Missions have a ripped from the headlines feel to them, making every action feel relevant.
NITE Team 4 isn’t the most graphically pretty game, but the screens convey all the important information.
Could playing NITE Team 4 make players better cybersecurity professionals in real life? The Canadian government seems to think so, as they’ve contracted with Alice & Smith for a customized version of the game which increases the realism and difficulty. Regular players won’t have access to this true training tool version, but even with the version of STINGER (NITE Team’s Kali Linux equivalent) available in the regular game, players can definitely get more comfortable with professional tools. The game won’t make players into 1337 H4x0r$, but it can certainly make someone more familiar with the terminology and techniques of cyber security and cyber warfare.
This is where decisions get made.
Gamers interested in learning more about the game should visit the official website or the NITE Team 4 Steam page. The game is currently in closed beta with no official launch date announced. I was sufficiently impressed by the game to give nominate it for our Marooners’ Rock Best Indie Game of PAX East 2018 award.
A connected drone’s eye view of the world.
