10 Gaming Worlds That We’d Love To Live In

A good video game setting can be a wondrous thing. As technology has advanced and games have become bigger and more expansive, gaming worlds have become a feature that can make or break the experience for the players. What use is a good story and interesting characters if the world that houses their adventures is boring or unimaginative? Over the years, developers have managed to gather all sorts of acclaim for gorgeously realized and perfectly crafted settings. These vary from shades of reality to outrageous departures from anything we can experience in real life, but all have their own merits when put together well. Many video game reviews even save some of their best plaudits for gaming worlds, and the critical treatment of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim offers the perfect example of just how important these can be to the overall experience. But what if these worlds weren't limited to just being experiences on the other side of a console screen? That's right; we're talking about actually getting to live inside the worlds that we've already sunk countless virtual hours into. We've put together a list of the 10 gaming worlds we'd most like to live in, with a little explanation for what would make each of them so appealing. Not that you'll need the explanations, that is; who wouldn't want to live in these worlds?! 10) Dunwall Kicking off our list is the steampunk-inspired, industrial city of Dunwall from 2012's Dishonored. Players will have found themselves thrust into the dark underbelly of its impoverished world at the centre of a plague infestation and a royal conspiracy. Great place to live, eh? Assuming one could avoid falling foul of the likes of Spymaster and his teleporting assassins, Dunwall could actually be a pretty neat place to live. It's ever-growing industrial nature would prove intriguing for the technically minded, while the dabblings of dark arts and magic could entice the - let's say - more curious individuals into its lore. Gigantic plague rats aside, Dunwall really is one heck of an interesting place. 9) Albion Its appearance is certainly on the cuter scale of the RPG genre, but Albion's appeal lies less in aesthetics and more in culture. After all; how many other worlds enlist adventurous children into a guild of heroes from an early age? Not bloody many... The life of an excited youngster in Albion seems somewhat of a charmed one. You could grow up as carefree as you like for as long as you like, but once the adventurer's itch takes over in your early teens, you can enrol into the guild and become a mighty warrior or fierce mage. Think of it as sending yourself your own Hogwarts acceptance letter! 8) Bright Falls The setting for Remedy's Microsoft exclusive, Alan Wake, is more than likely one for the thrill-seekers among you, but could be a pretty exciting place to live nonetheless. Set gorgeously at the edge of a picturesque lake and comforted by mountains at most sides, Bright Falls looks like it's been lifted straight from a postcard! And how about that population? Alan Wake and his wife were greeted by some immensely friendly individuals the moment they arrived, and there's no doubt gamers felt just as welcome in their quaint town as Alan did... at first. There's obviously the problem of the crazy darkness that took over the residents during Alan's time there, but they can be defeated by torchlight anyway. Once the authorities at Bright Falls can sort out that pesky battery shortage, the residents will be flocking back! 7) The Citadel As the housing for the Citadel Council in the Mass Effect series, The Citadel certainly has some almighty significance in its universe. Superbly located at the junction of a few Mass Relays and with a comfortably manufactured atmosphere, it is truly the home of tomorrow! It also happens to be known as the political and cultural heart of citadel space, making it an attractive destination for any socialites out there. You could spend the morning studying the collective histories of various colonies, before taking in some high culture in some of the more arty districts after noon. Think of it like Paris....in space. 6) Panau An island paradise that offers metropolitan convenience and sandy beaches with crystal clear waters? Sign me the heck up! Just Cause 2's glorious setting is probably one of the more sensational gaming worlds players have had the chance to enjoy, but how about living there for real? Well, it's not perfect, but then no one could expect that. The population may just have to contend with crooked politics and some pretty shady military activity overseeing oil trades, but we're pretty sure that's a fair trade-off to live in paradise. And hey, dodging the militants would probably drum up more than enough thirst for a well-earned coconut drink or two! 5) Pandora Perhaps one of the riskier worlds on this list, Pandora is a gaming world populated by some of the craziest and most dangerous individuals players would have encountered. Acting as the setting for the Borderlands series, it seems the vast majority would kill you as soon as they look at you on Pandora... But where some see danger, we see opportunity; how about running the gauntlet of danger on a quest to become a gun-toting, treasure-seeking Vault Hunter? A profession (just about) suited to the charming, the reckless and, ultimately, the downright lucky. If you can survive just long enough to get a glimpse of something rare, a life on Pandora could be a pretty charmed one. 4) Azeroth As the gaming world that a large majority of our population have already spent most of their lives in, Azeroth has fallen into the "desirable" list. Beating off stiff competition from the likes of Skyrim, just what is it that would make this world so appealing? Well, think about the adventurers lifestyle of Albion, and now imagine it being just a tad more grown-up. Albion's hero guild is an exciting prospect, but the plethora of glorious RPG style abilities available to willing inhabitants in Azeroth hits new heights entirely. Power on an unprecedented scale could be yours in Azeroth, so long as you don't do anything foolish enough to be classed as a 'noob.' Good luck making friends in the neighbourhood, then! 3) San Andreas Closest to our own world it may be, but the latest iteration of San Andreas from the immensely popular GTA V is just the right side of absurd to make it an interesting move from the real world. As a parody of real life, almost everything in San Andreas is accentuated to ridiculous levels. The cars are faster, the guns are more powerful and - perhaps best of all for the criminally-inclined - the police are useless! If you've ever really wanted to give someone actual evidence that playing violent video games makes you a violent person, moving to a place like San Andreas and cutting loose would certainly be the right way to go. 2) Mushroom Kingdom Nostalgia bells may well be sounding in your ears right now, and with good reason; Super Mario's Mushroom Kingdom may represent one of the earliest gaming worlds you can remember seeing. Putting aside the fact that all of your time there thus far was spent dashing from side to side like an irritable crab, Mushroom Kingdom would actually be a pretty sweet place to live. There's basically no crime, other than the occasional princess-napping, but even that can be simply resolved by the sort of uncoordinated spinning and jumping that has made Zumba so famous around our own world. There's also regularly free food falling from the skies for anyone quick enough to claim it. Add the fact tthat said food can give you the kind of immediate gains that January gym-goers dream of, and Mushroom Kingdom is starting to look like quite the lazy man's paradise! 1) Kanto Region In truth, this really could have been a region from any Pokemon title but, just like your first love, there's really nowhere else to turn for such nostalgia. While Fable's Albion may allow its youngsters to become heroes and warriors of their own right, a region like Kanto takes pretty much all the danger away but still lets you become a ten year old badass. Becoming a Pokemon Master is essentially up there with the greatest gaming fantasies, and so moving to the Kanto region would be the first step on the road to that glorious path. I can already picture my reckless self being hauled out of the long grass by the legendary Professor Oak. "Choose a Pokemon to take on my adventures," you say? Well twist my arm, if you must... The Kanto region would ultimately be the greatest gaming world to inhabit in real life, since fame and fortune can be achieved by a plucky ten year old and death seems mysteriously absent, save for a few essential and heart-rending moments. It is the safest and sweetest, and simply had to top our list!!