British agency using Xbox Live to increase awareness, recruit potential agents

If you were looking for individuals with fast reaction times, tons of coordination experience the ability to think quickly in random situations look no further than the Xbox Live community. Playing games online with other humans is one of the best places to use your wits to outsmart and outmaneuver the opposition. Xbox Live is teeming with individuals with potential to become real life agents and this is why a government intelligence organization named GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) will use Live to recruit.

GCHQ is a British intelligence agency located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (England), that partners with MI5 and MI6 agencies to protect the UK’s security interests.

GCHQ will run ads for six weeks on Xbox Live’s dashboard as well as within games including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2 and Left 4 Dead 2.

After clicking on the ads gamers will be able to download gamer pictures, themes and videos in addition to information that will help them learn more about GCHQ.

Caroline Waterfield, a press officer for GCHQ, explained in an official statement what tasks the GCHQ hope to accomplish and why the agency chose Xbox Live as a recruiting tool:

“As well as tackling ‘traditional threats’ GCHQ’s work is also about helping government departments, such as the Ministry of Defence, to protect their information and communication systems.

This means we can offer excellent training and careers for people with specialist technical skills. However, the fact remains that many potential candidates remain unaware of GCHQ and what we do. Using video on Xbox Live helps carry our message to the right people in a creative and innovative manner.”

Read [Guardian] Also Read [This is Gloucestershire] Also Read [Gamertell]

Photo Credit: GCHQ