The sequel to Bossa Studio’s well-received creation for the 2013 Global Game Jam, Surgeon Simulator 2 is a comical take on the often high-stress drama that unfolds in a hospital’s operating theater. And now the surgery sim is being offered free of charge to medical professionals currently practicing in Britain’s National Health Service.

In the spirit of the UK’s Games for Carers initiative that was introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bossa Studios has launched the NHS: National Handout of Surgeon Simulator initiative, which will run through October 21, in an attempt to support professionals working in Britain’s healthcare field. Nurses, doctors, and of course surgeons can access their free copy of Surgeon Simulator 2 by signing up with a valid NHS email address at http://nhs.surgeonsim.com/.

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In the press release announcing its NHSNHSS initiative, Bossa Studios CEO Henrique Olifers stated that the company has always wished for Surgeon Simulator 2 to become a useful tool for NHS workers to practice their health service skills. He joked that the Surgeon Simulator 2 gaming community is not very good at saving Bob, the unfortunate patient who repeatedly goes under the knife in both the first game and its sequel. Players, Olifers claimed, need to see how things should really be done.

Assisting Bossa Studios with the initiative is Dr. Idris Morgan, a real medical doctor who has recently started a YouTube channel under the alias Doctor Mim. He has so far posted a couple of videos in which he plays Surgeon Simulator 2. The game, he clarified in the press release, is absolutely not a viable medical training tool. He is confident, however, that it will provide a lot of amusement for medical professionals around the world.

In addition to handing out free copies of Surgeon Simulator 2 to NHS healthcare workers, Bossa Studios will be holding a speedrun event this October 15, 2020, that will begin at 10:00 a.m. BST (British Summer Time). Multiple players, including real doctors, will participate in this 24-hour fundraiser, which is intended to raise money for MRI facilities in the North Lincolnshire NHS Trust.

Expanding on the antics and gameplay of the first title, Surgeon Simulator 2 now features four-player online coop and a new storyline penned by Rhianna Pratchett, an award-winning writer who has worked on multiple games including Tomb Raider, Heavenly Sword, and the Overlord series. For would-be surgeons who don’t qualify for a free copy of Surgeon Simulator 2, the game is available exclusively on the Epic Games Store for $24.99.

Surgeon Simulator 2 was released on August 27, 2020, and is available on PC.

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Source: Wccftech