Social media connectivity, self-assessment appetite, and natural game play inclinations can be leveraged for talent acquisition in the corporate world and in higher education. Games, simulations, and online diagnostic tests target potential users with “play a game, get a job” slogans. This paper examines the platform construction and rationale that recruitment gaming companies pitch to their users, which are often rising seniors or fresh university graduates. Opportunities for human intervention in an otherwise algorithmic setting are examined, and current recruitment platforms are compared to long-standing, non-gamified academic competitions targeting advanced high school students. Easily accessible online platforms offering quick measurement of non-cognitive and personality traits could have a profound impact on the university admissions process in the future.