STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
Now, on this program we often hear stories from our correspondents in war zones like Afghanistan or Libya. A video game being developed now simulates the task of the war correspondent. It's called Warco. Instead of carrying guns and weapons, players in this war game carry a video camera.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: They've got RPGs. You can't stop them. Pull back. Pull back now! (Unintelligible)
INSKEEP: Players videotape the scenes that they see onscreen and try to put together a narrative. The idea for Warco comes from an Australian journalist who has reported in East Timor and Eastern Europe.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: At sunset the rebels struck. At least 50, heavily armed with automatic weapons and RPGs.
INSKEEP: The game even includes downtime to go back to a hotel and talk things over with other reporters, and presumably also complain about sources, other reporters and editors. The studio working on this project, Defiant Development, is seeing if it would work commercially and is shopping Warco to publishers. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.