German intelligence agency recruits at computer game expo due to staff shortage

BERLIN, August 22. /TASS/. Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is conducting a recruitment drive at the Gamescom computer and video games exhibition due to a shortage of qualified staff, the DPA news agency reported.
“There are many similarities between Gamescom visitors and the people we would like to see in our ranks,” BND Spokeswoman Julia Linner told DPA. The BND is mainly looking for IT specialists and programmers. According to Linner, the German intelligence service is a good fit for gamers, as there are certain similarities in the gaming world and power structures. “Our employees understand computers and technology, they perform tasks, play different roles and try on different personalities to get information – just like video game characters,” she pointed out.
The exhibition features a special BND booth. Unlike most of the other visitors, the employees of the special services do not wear name tags at Gamescom. Next to the BND is the stand of the Bundeswehr (the German armed forces – TASS), opposite the defense corporation Rheinmetall and the Bundestag (the German parliament – TASS). All of them are trying to attract the attention of the visitors.
The BND has about 6,500 employees, of which 4,000 work in Berlin, 1,000 in Pullach near Munich, and 1,500 abroad or elsewhere in Germany.