British Intelligence Agencies Recruiting Through Online Games

The surveillance branch of British intelligence services, Government Communications Headquarters, have announced that they will begin running advertisements for recruitment in several online video games. The ads will appear as landscaped billboards that will be fed into such PC and Xbox 360 games as Splinter Cell: Double Agent. The GCHQ are hoping to attract “computer-savvy, technologically able, quick thinking” people to their agency or at least “plant the idea in the heads of younger players.” A spokesperson for GCHQ said:

“We find increasingly we have to use less conventional means of attracting people . . . to go beyond glossy brochures and milk-round stalls. We will monitor the results from this campaign and are ready to change our recruitment methods. We know we can’t stand still.”

The agency is focusing on hiring software and signal intelligence experts, so don’t expect to be hired on as a British Sam Fisher.

This a pretty cool concept though, considering they’re targeting people who are already at least a little interested in the spy life. Reminds me a lot of The Last Starfighter. However, take note, Xbox Live players: how “high” you are and how well you can sing the full lyrics to Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” will not increase your odds of getting hired.

Via Times Online