New initiative explores how esports could strengthen Sweden’s total defense
Could experience from esports help meet the future skills needs of Sweden’s total defense? That is the starting point for Gamers as a societal resource, a new initiative at the Center for Security and Resilience at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE).
Photo: Edvin Landvik
The project brings together researchers, government agencies, and higher education institutions to explore whether skilled esports players can be trained as civilian and military drone pilots.
The project is part of the Center for Security and Resilience’s development activities within SSE Society Lab, complementing the Center’s research and teaching. Through this part of its work, the Center brings together researchers, the public sector, businesses, and other societal stakeholders to develop practical solutions to societal challenges through concrete development projects.
This week, the initiative was presented to Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin, among others, during a visit to SSE, where he learned about the project and met participating organizations.
A collaborative research project
The project is led by Faruk Pita, a former professional Counter-Strike player who now coaches the Counter-Strike team Eyeballers. At the Center for Security and Resilience, he is working with researchers and partner organizations to develop a model for exploring how skills from esports could be used in Sweden’s total defense.
The project draws on international experience, including from the United States and Ukraine, where studies indicate that people with esports experience often have well-developed cognitive and spatial abilities relevant to operating drones. The project will now explore whether these findings can also be applied in a Swedish context.
“I have experienced firsthand how professional esports develops abilities such as rapid decision-making, precision, and spatial awareness,” said Faruk Pita, project manager for Gamers as a societal resource. “We now want to explore whether these skills can also contribute to Sweden’s preparedness and create new opportunities for gamers to use their abilities where they can make a real difference.”
Among other areas, the project will explore esports players’ interest in this type of training, how existing training programs could be developed, and how civilian and military organizations could benefit from these skills.
Bringing together researchers, government agencies, and industry
The initiative is run by the Center for Security and Resilience in close collaboration with several organizations involved in research and Sweden’s total defense. Partners include the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF), the University of Skövde, and Örebro University.
Through SSE Society Lab, the Center for Security and Resilience has worked on development projects including municipal preparedness, civil defense shelters, and drone technology.
The Center for Security and Resilience was founded in 2025 and conducts research and teaching focusing on governance, supply chains, innovation, and societal resilience. Its development activities within SSE Society Lab complement these areas through concrete projects carried out in collaboration with external partners.
Contact
Martin Carlsson-Wall
Professor and Director, Center for Security and Resilience
Stockholm School of Economics
Email: martin.carlsson-wall@hhs.se
Phone: +46 730 440 900
