In a video gaming landscape often dominated by fantasy duels and kinetic gunfights, one different genre is standing out in the Gamescom trade fair in Germany: firefighting.

Both "Firefighting Simulator Ignite" from German developer Weltenbauer and French studio Exkee's "Rescue Ops: Wildfire" see themselves as having a social impact beyond fun -- whether raising fire safety awareness or highlighting the impact of climate change on vulnerable ecosystems.

"Firefighting Simulator" has a September 9 release, and promises a grounded firefighting experience in a fictional American city.

The team ran demos at Gamescom showing off the first missions, in which players are coached through hauling civilians from a blazing building, forcing doors, hooking up hoses to trucks and hydrants and extingui

See Full Page