Unsurprisingly, video games have numerous advantages, both in real life and the digital world. Several studies indicate that gamers might be better cybersecurity experts than regular people.
Of 650 security professionals and 300 senior security surveyed managers, about 78% declared that the strongest candidates for cyber security roles were part of their generation since they grew up playing video games.
An astonishing 92% of the participants believe that gamers' skills help search and identify cyber security threats.
Cyber Security Is Needed More Than Ever
Cyber security damage costs rise each year , and attacks are more frequent than ever. Hackers have united in groups and have found new ways of exploiting software, stealing personal information, taking data hostage, espionage, and more.
Due to the rising threat, many companies demand cybersecurity experts to help them safeguard their data. If gamers are among the best candidates for cybersecurity positions, what makes them competent in this niche?
How Does Gaming Help to Become a Cybersecurity Expert?
Specific skills learned in games can be transferred/applied to the cybersecurity niche. Here are some features that make gamers among the best cybersecurity candidates:
Gamers have critical thinking
Many consider gamers nerds, and being a nerd isn't a negative trait. The cyberworld is the natural world for gamers as they discover early on in their lives a love for computer-related tasks.
Similar to hackers, gamers tend to hang out virtually with their colleagues. As they need an income, some develop creative ways of making money. Take, for example, the case of Palmer Luckey.
Rather than going to school, he spent countless hours on video games and made side money by modding computer assembly parts and smartphones. Palmer would eventually combine hardware and software until he developed one of the most sophisticated VR models, the Oculus Rift.
Many gamers have similar traits to Palmer Luckey. They incline computers and technology. Their desire to tangle with networks, find cheats and hacks in games, and outmaneuver game obstacles, are some key features found in cybersecurity experts.
The chase is more rewarding
All video games have a riddled storyline with puzzles, surprise attacks, uncertainties, and other elements. Many gamers view fighting cybercrime similarly to winning a game.
Cyber security also involves guesswork, tricks, and hidden features, which gamers are naturally used to. Apart from this, gamers are inherently good team players as they are used to online collaborations towards a common goal.
Gamers already have a motivation to strike back against hackers. For example, gamers are more used to being hacked than regular people. Many people have hacked one another in games to gain an advantage. Some hackers deliberately attack game servers for the sake of pranks and publicity.
Pro-gamers are the people who have suffered the most due to such attacks, as they lost income due to such disruptive events. For example, in 2013, a hacker group brought down the League of Legends game site for fun. Many players became very frustrated, and some even lost money, adding to the animosity between the two fractions.
Since many gamers have a debt to settle with hackers, they are more motivated to fight against them than regular people.
How Young Gamers Can Stay Safe While Playing Online And Forge a Career in Cybersecurity
Gamers are clearly among the best cybersecurity candidates. To improve their cybersecurity skills, which can lead to a career in the future, and stay safe and have fun while playing online video games, young gamers can benefit from the following tips:
Gamers can reduce their in-game lag and boost their cybersecurity against hackers through VPNs. A VPN is a virtual private network that can hide your real IP , and encrypts your online data.
You can use a VPN for PC, Mac, or any OS to protect your online data and privacy. A VPN also allows you to change your geo-location and access content that might be restricted in your country. With a VPN, you can learn more about cybersecurity, boost your security, enjoy your game, and tackle hackers.
Any gamer should use antivirus and carefully analyze how it works. It can help them stay safe while playing online video games and deal with malware or viruses once they encounter them.
Avoid pirating games for your safety. Some pirate game files might have corrupted files. These files are usually crypto-mining software that can slow down your PC and raise your electricity bills.
Keep your software and OS up-to-date. Any outdated software or OS is a potential backdoor to cybercriminals that can infect your PC with malware or viruses. Understand how the software works and how hackers can use outdated software against you. It will also help you in your cybersecurity career if you pursue it.