Gamers Can Help Bridge The Skills Gap

Uploaded on 2025-07-08 in FREE TO VIEW, JOBS-Careers

Throughout the UK, companies across nearly every sector are wrestling with a significant technical skills gap, caused by an increasing shortage of applicants with the necessary expertise and qualifications required to fill open roles.

In fact, a recent Government report estimated that as many as 44% of UK businesses now face skills gaps in basic technical areas.

Many believed the emergence of new technologies such as AI and machine learning would help alleviate this issue, and while it has certainly done so in some areas, in others it has exacerbated the problems faced. That’s because fully capitalising on these technologies requires the same skilled employees that businesses are already struggling to recruit.

In cybersecurity, the skills gap is particularly acute. According to a 2024 report by the World Economic Forum, there’s currently a shortfall of nearly four million cybersecurity professionals worldwide. What’s more, this figure is only getting bigger as demand for qualified professionals grows year on year.

However, as companies scramble to find new recruitment avenues, there’s one unlikely source that’s proving particularly fruitful – gamers.

An Unlikely Source Of Cybersecurity Talent?

At first glance, the link between video games and cybersecurity isn’t obvious, but they draw on remarkably similar cognitive abilities. What was once considered a niche hobby is now a pastime for billions globally.

According to a 2024 report by global insights firm Dentsu, the value of the gaming industry has now reached £141.7bn, surpassing the combined values of both the music (£21.1bn) and film industries (£25bn) by a considerable margin. What’s more, many of the skills required to excel at video games are the same skills needed to forge a successful career in cybersecurity.

Using Games To Upskill

In addition to its popularity as a form of entertainment, gaming is increasingly being recognised as a powerful way to teach and learn new skills, making it the ideal medium through which to train people who already have a personal interest in it. In the cybersecurity space, certain gamified applications perfectly bridge the gap between training and gaming for the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, helping them learn core skills in a familiar, risk-free environment that they enjoy.

Key Gaming Skills With Real-World Ppplications

Many of the key skills that enable people to succeed at video games are closely aligned with those required by cybersecurity professionals. Some are obvious, while others are harder to discern but equally as valuable. Below are just a few examples:

1) The ability to outthink opponents: Another core aspect of gaming is outwitting and outthinking opponents, just as it is in the cybersecurity industry. Successfully achieving this requires numerous skills, ranging from fast decision-making and planning multiple steps ahead to thinking outside the box and acting swiftly/decisively when needed.

2) Quick Decision Making: Gamers are often faced with difficult situations that require a split-second choice, with some decisions so in the moment they are known as quick-time events (QTEs). Being able to assess a situation and react with the appropriate response is vital, not only to progression through video games, but in the world of cybersecurity too. More often than not, attackers will strike without warning, and unless decisions are made swiftly, the ramifications of the attack will only escalate.

3) Working as part of a team: Teamwork is a core component of many video games, with players needing to work together to succeed. Such an approach directly mirrors real-world cybersecurity teams, which require individuals to execute their individual roles in harmony with those around them to achieve common goals and prevent breaches. This ability to operate within a wider community of passionate individuals is a core component of the cybersecurity industry, helping security researchers learn from each other, hone their skills and acquire the tools and knowledge needed to effectively leverage with new/emerging attacks and tactics.

4) A drive to achieve completion: The main goal of most video games is to achieve completion. Doing so requires ticking off dozens of objectives, upgrading skills, solving diverse problems and overcoming increasingly difficult challenges. The same can be said for preventing cybersecurity breaches and securing systems. While the ever-changing world of cybersecurity is impossible to ‘complete’ in a conventional sense, having individuals on your team who are always looking to achieve the next objective, acquire a new certification or skill upgrade and overcome new challenges is extremely beneficial to every organisation.

5) Problem Solving: Problems are a key part of many video games, with vital equipment, information and levels often locked behind some sort of obstacle. It is vital, therefore, that gamers possess the skills and determination to tackle and overcome these challenges in order to obtain their prize. This is a mentality that is key to cybersecurity, as implementing robust defences and knowing how to tackle vulnerability risks and attacks is no easy task.

As the global skills gap continues to widen across key industries such as cybersecurity, organisations are increasingly searching further afield for the talented individuals they need to keep their businesses safe from attack.

While gaming may not seem like the most obvious first choice, the number of highly transferable skills between the two industries makes it a compelling new frontier. With the right tools, mentorship, and training, today’s gamers can soon become tomorrow’s cyber defenders.

Shlomie Liberow is Principal Hacker Research & Development Community at HackerOne

Image: Gustavo Fring

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