‘Every hacker I’ve met is a gamer’: why the next generation of tech talent could be found in unlikely places

Students are acquiring valuable skills thanks to activities such as gaming – and are keen to turn them into careers. Composite: Getty Images/Guardian Design

For many young people at school or college, having a firm grasp of digital skills sits at the heart of future learning and earning opportunities. But for their teachers, ensuring these skills are used for good is a complicated lesson.

According to The Hacking Games – an organisation dedicated to helping young people with hacking skills get jobs in cybersecurity – criminal gangs are increasingly searching popular online gaming environments for talented teenagers who they can groom into working for them.