War-Based FPS Warco Equips You With Just A Camera

A new game in development from Australian game studio Defiant Development is a perfect title for those who want to feel what it’s like to be a reporter in tumultuous, war-torn battlefields. Warco is a first-person “shooter” where, rather than guns and ammo, you’re equipped with a camera.

Yes, you can get all your Pokemon Snap jokes out of the way here.

Warco has you starring as Jessie DeMarco, a war correspondent (hence the game’s name) filming on-location footage for a BBC News-like program. In her line of work, Jessie is flown into battle, much like the soldiers she films, and faces the same threats they do. You’ll experience up-close explosions, armed enemy forces, and life-or-death situations. All of which can be caught on camera. According to the game’s website, “They’ve got AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades – you’ve got a flak jacket, a video camera, and a burning desire to get the story.”

At the end of each area your filmed experiences can be edited together to make that day’s news segment. Here you have full control over what goes on air. You can have an entire segment made up of the opposing forces doing battle, or footage of the local townspeople reacting to the atrocities going on around them. You’re free to film whatever you want, as each in-game area is made up of different missions and different stories to tell. It’s up to you to decide if getting the perfect shot is worth risking your own life.

Tony Maniaty, an Australian warco who’s reported in East Timor and Eastern Europe, and Robert Connolly, a director best known for his film Balibo, have been working with Defiant to make the experiences in-game as real as possible. Speaking with Ars Technica, Defiant’s Morgan Jaffit explains “It’s been a great partnership, with Tony giving the game a great grounding in the real world issues of war journalism, Robert lending his structural and cinematic eye, and Defiant helping to channel that into something that’s interactive and engaging.”

A trailer for the game shows just what kinds of engagements gamers will be experiencing during Warco, including firefights, bombings, and ride-alongs capturing the emotions of civilians. I can’t help but be enthused about this game, which is an utterly exciting take on the FPS genre. I’ve always seen war-time journalists as the unsung heroes of our day and age, and a game like this is great. It teaches the up-and-coming warcos how to handle themselves, and shows gamers a side of war they might not have thought about. Defiant is talking with various publishers looking for a deal for the game (which has had four months of development time thus far). So, for now, the game’s fate is in the air, but when it’s released, its unique premise and convention-shifting style should entice many gamers.