As games become more mainstream entertainment, developers are turning that knowledge to the nongame-playing world.

LOS ANGELES – Veteran New York firefighter Eddie Zagajesky is trained to handle surprises. So when he and his team of four younger fighters responded to the hazardous spill at a chemical plant, he thought he had it under control. But within minutes, he realized he had an even bigger emergency on his hands. "The [firefighter] next to me, his view through his mask got blurry," he says, remembering the moment. "That's when I knew he was overcome and we had to stop and get him out of there first."

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