British Government Agency To Run Xbox Live Recruitment Ads

This morning, British publication The Guardian reports that Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is going run ads in Xbox Live “including Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed, to attract quick-thinking 18- to 34-year-olds to its ranks.”

The Guardian goes on to report that the campaign will run for six weeks, using games like Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed II and Left 4 Dead 2 to gauge players’ skills in quick-thinking, problem solving and team work.

In which case, they really don’t want me. When I’m not leaving my teammates to die in Left 4 Dead 2, I’m busy getting lost in airplane fuselages in Modern Warfare 2 until somebody’s good enough to come knife me. And I haven’t even bought Assassin’s Creed II yet. Oh, and I’m American.

Here’s what the British government has to say of its campaign:

“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,” said a GCHQ spokeswoman.

“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,” she added.

Government intelligence organisation targets recruits with Xbox Live ads [The Guardian]

Thanks for the tip, Josh!