Similiar games
What’s Your Emergency is a narrative-focused simulation that places the player in the position of an emergency dispatcher handling incoming calls from a large city. The game removes visual context and direct control, forcing all decisions to be made through conversation and a digital dispatch system. Each call represents a situation that must be understood through limited information, making interpretation and judgment the central mechanics rather than speed or accuracy of movement.
Perspective and Information Constraints
The player experiences the game entirely from a workstation interface, reinforcing the limits faced by a real dispatcher. Callers describe events in their own words, often under stress, which can distort facts or hide key details. The player must decide what information is reliable and what requires clarification. Because there is no way to see events directly, every choice depends on how well the player interprets tone, phrasing, and inconsistencies in the caller’s account.
Workday Structure and Evaluation
Gameplay is divided into shifts that simulate a full day of work. During each shift, the player must process a sequence of calls while maintaining acceptable performance. Mistakes accumulate, and repeated errors can result in losing the job. There are no timers pushing fast reactions, but the pressure comes from accountability. Each decision is logged, and outcomes may influence future situations, creating a sense of continuity rather than isolated challenges.
Core Dispatcher Activities
In the middle of a typical shift, the player repeatedly engages in a set of actions that define the main gameplay loop:
- Answering emergency calls as they arrive
- Listening carefully to descriptions and emotional cues
- Asking specific questions to reduce uncertainty
- Selecting the appropriate emergency service
- Managing overlapping calls with different urgency levels
These actions emphasize attention and logical assessment, forming the backbone of the experience.
Escalation and Narrative Weight
As the game progresses, calls become less clear-cut and more morally complex. Some situations involve conflicting information or consequences that extend beyond a single response. Certain decisions can affect how future callers interact with the dispatcher or how external groups respond to their work. This escalation adds narrative weight without changing the core mechanics, encouraging the player to think beyond immediate outcomes.
