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Gamers make best cybersecurity experts, survey says
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Video gamers play 'Star Wars: Battlefront II' during a demonstration at the Electronic Arts (EA) E3 press conference at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California, on June 10, 2017. (AFP/Andrew Cullen)
G
amers make the best candidates for cybersecurity jobs, a new report by California-based security software company McAfee has suggested.
According to its survey involving 300 senior security managers and 650 security professionals at major corporations, at least 92 percent of respondents say that gamers have the necessary skills for cybersecurity jobs, such as endurance and perseverance, the urge to look at things at a new angle, different perspectives and logic and problem solving skills.
As reported by VentureBeat, the survey also noted that 78 percent of respondents believe the current generation – which consists of a large population of gamers who began playing video games at a young age – is best suited to handle cybersecurity roles.
Cybersecurity jobs are currently very important amid a significant growth in cybercrimes in an era in which almost everyone has a computer and is connected to a network. According to the EU, the volume and cost of cybercrimes are increasing significantly.
Read also: Meet the pro-gamers who struggle to reach the top and succeed
The aforementioned survey found that 46 percent of the respondents believe that cybercrimes will be almost impossible to keep up with in about 12 months. Statistics indicate that security teams needs to increase their staff by about 24 percent to keep up with cybercriminals and identify potential cyberthreats that could harm the public. However, it is not easy to find people to hire—at least 84 percent of those surveyed believes it is difficult to attract talented people with the necessary skills.
McAfee chief information security officer Grant Bourzikas said in a statement that human and machines should work together to achieve better results, with the automated programs dealing with small and basic problems, allowing the humans to deal with complex problems.
Another solution to improve cybersecurity is gamification, the application of game-playing elements to non-game activities. Proponents of the theory argue it could help with teamwork to increase efficiency and increase awareness over security breaches. (ely/kes)
