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Posted on 08/12/2026 10:20:06 AM PDT by JSM_Liberty
Regardless of your age, chances are you know at least one person in your life who loves video games, and a recent campaign by the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that those skills might be useful at your nearest airport.
In April 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a new campaign aimed at hiring the “next generation of air traffic controllers,” citing an increased focus on skills often synonymous with frequent gaming, such as increased problem-solving skills and multitasking abilities. That strategy appears to have paid off.
In a social media post made Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the campaign has broken multiple hiring records for the FAA, including most candidates hired in a single year, with more than 2,000.
“In April, we launched a NEW CAMPAIGN to recruit video gamers as air traffic controllers — and supercharged the entire hiring process to get the BEST & BRIGHTEST in faster. The results are HISTORIC,” Duffy said. The secretary also highlighted that this campaign featured “the most streamlined hiring process,” adding that more than 2,000 “best & brightest” candidates are in the hiring pipeline.
While it might seem outlandish to some to compare video games with a very important (and often very stressful) job, this idea didn’t just come to the FAA on a whim, but rather from its own employees.
“With only about 25 percent of controllers holding a traditional college degree, this effort is focused on reaching talented young people pursuing alternative career paths, many of whom are active in gaming. Feedback from controller exit interviews reinforces this, with several controllers pointing to gaming as an influence on their ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity,” the FAA said. The FAA’s original hiring window was only available to 8,000 applicants. As of Aug. 9, Duffy has reported that 94% of the FAA’s hiring goal has been met.
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Sounds cool. but can you get any of them to move out of their mom’s basement.
I loved “Missile Command”! Lost just about every quarter I earned.
The person who can get vending machines that stock Monster energy drinks, and Cheetos will probably be a millionaire in a few short months.
Unlimited free pizza and pop, too?
Porn breaks are optional, I guess.
Their first hire is Leroy Jenkins.
Will those gamers be able to do their jobs while also playing with their smartphones and tablets/computers?
Will they play games with the dots on their screens (planes) and pit them against each other? A new game will pop up in the gaming-world; which air traffic controller can bring down the most aircraft in any given day.
A saying comes to mind: you can bring a horse to water but you can’t make him drink it.
You can bring a gamer to the airports, but you can’t take the gaming away.
It’s like taking the gambling away from a gambler.
As long as they realize if they crash a plane it’s not “game over” and it restarts.
It takes a very specific type of personality to be an ATC.....this very well could be a stroke of genius.
How old are you?
You obviously don’t have a clue about the capabilities of current American society
Might want to find out what games they’re good at during the interview. Microsoft Flight Simulator, great. Gorebox, maybe not so much...
Are you the 8 or the 1?
“ Sounds cool. but can you get any of them to move out of their mom’s basement.”
Have you ever heard of remote air traffic control? A small business airport in Northern Virginia uses a remotely controlled tower. Or not. They’re in the process of deciding to either tear it down or build a new one.
> Are you the 8 or the 1? <
I’m a great Pong player, I tell ya. Let’s not quibble about the details.
🙂
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