Xboxist

Pssst! Our Man in Havana Needs You: Gamers make the best Spies!

It seems the dreams of many hardcore gamers are becoming a reality, as British intelligence agencies push the boundaries in recruitment methods, by reaching out to gamers via in-game advertising. In an article by the Times, GCHQ, the surveillance arm of the intelligence services, will become the first espionage agency to use embedded game adverts to recruit a new 'tech-savvy' breed of spy. Yes, you my friend.

According to the Times, the advertisements will appear as billboards in the fictional landscapes of games including Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent. They will not be written into the games themselves but will be fed into games when they are played on personal computers and Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles that are connected to the internet.

A spokesperson for GCHQ described the potential recruits that it wanted to reach as "computer-savvy, technologically able, quick thinking.

"We find increasingly we have to use less conventional means of attracting people . . . to go beyond glossy brochures and milk-round stalls."

Industry figures suggest that the adverts will reach a mostly male audience, aged from 8 to 34. GCHQ hopes to "plant the idea in the heads of younger players" of pursuing a career in the secret services.

"We will monitor the results from this campaign and are ready to change our recruitment methods," the spokeswoman said. "We know we can’t stand still."

This is a dramatic move away from the old fashioned recruitment methods normally employed by the British intelligence services where old-boy networks such as the Oxbridge set were sourced. This summer MI5 advertised for staff on the sides of London buses.

Source