From Call of Duty and Team Fortress 2, to Alien Isolation and Resident Evil, the flamethrower has left its fair share of scorch marks across gaming. But while they’re one of the most fearsome weapons in reality, many virtual versions really lack a spark. With the help of Keeper of Firearms & Artillery, Jonathan Ferguson, we’ve come to the Royal Armouries museum in the UK to figure out why games struggle to light a fire with their virtual representations.

0:00 – Intro
00:50 – History of Flamethrowers
05:12 – Flamethrowers in Pop Culture
07:47 – Gameplay Balance
09:41 – Shooting a Flamethrower Backpack
10:58 – Myth vs. Reality
14:44 – Flamethrowers in Horror
16:32 – Conclusion

In this episode of Loadout, Dave Jewitt visits the Royal Armouries to talk to Keeper of Firearms & Artillery Jonathan Ferguson to chat about gaming’s obsession with the flamethrower, and how its virtual depictions measure up to reality.

You can check out more episodes of Loadout right here. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzSrmGkpWKk&list=PLpg6WLs8kxGMzIemU1gyyLmg5VlKI2UvC

You can check out our Firearms Expert Reacts series here. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FVzcoRjoN4&list=PLpg6WLs8kxGMgYb13XjPgOKbm5O-CDq7R

If you’re interested in seeing more of Jonathan’s work, you can check out more from the Royal Armouries right here. – https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalArmouries

If you would like to support the Royal Armouries, you can make a charitable donation to the museum here. – https://royalarmouries.org/support-us/donations/