I think everyone here shares the same passion for this thing that brings us together: video games. And of course, since we’re all gamers in one way or another, we all have our favorites, those games that have touched our souls. And why not? They’ve also managed to win us over so completely that we’ve grown attached to the settings where their campaigns or missions took place, right? I’m sure many of us, if not all of us, have thought something along the lines of, “Man, how awesome would it be to live in that universe!”
We all know that a world is only as beautiful, appealing, and immersive as its developers and designers have made it. Its characters are only as charismatic as they’ve been written and programmed to be, right? Well, with that said, there are countless universes from all kinds of genres that we could bring to the table right now, so I’ve taken some time to choose, from that huge range of possibilities, 10 worlds where, for one reason or another, we might actually enjoy living. And I’m pretty sure some of these titles will surprise you… 😉
Shall we?
I should clarify that this list isn’t based on statistics, player counts, commercial success, or anything like that. It’s also not ranked from worst to best or vice versa. It’s simply a list based on my own personal judgment, so I’d especially love to hear your opinions and additions to the list in the comments 🙂
The Pokémon World
The world where the entire Pokémon franchise, or most of it, takes place is undoubtedly a timeless classic we simply couldn’t leave out. We’re probably talking about one of the most complete fantasy worlds a video game has ever created: pleasant cities, incredible nature, futuristic technology, constant travel, and mostly friendly inhabitants. Could you ask for more?
Of course! As if all of that weren’t enough, Pokémon exist in this world, which should be more than enough of an argument on its own and would hold up in any court as a perfectly valid reason for wanting to live there. “Your Honor, I mean… there are Pokémon.” Done. Nobody would ask another question.
In this wonderful world, you wouldn’t even have to be a Trainer. You could open a café in Celadon City and forget all about saving the world. I’m sure hundreds of thousands of other gamers would choose this world without even stopping to think about it for a second.
The World of Animal Crossing
Tell me which world you choose, and I’ll tell you who you are. In my case, as an old-school gamer, this world would undoubtedly make my top three when it came time to choose. Picture this: a house on an island, friendly neighbors, fishing, beaches, museums, gardening, and an economy whose greatest threat is an extremely entrepreneurial raccoon.
Looking for adventure? Keep moving. You’ll definitely be happier with some of the other entries on this list. Me? Just let me pay off my mortgage by selling peaches in peace. 😂
Hyrule, The Legend of Zelda
For this example, we could choose the version of Hyrule from either Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, but I think 100% of us here agree that Zelda absolutely HAS to be on this list, and that wasn’t a question. It was definitely a statement.
Of course, not many people would want to be around during the Calamity, but after defeating Ganon, living in Hateno Village, Kakariko Village, or even building a little village of your own could be simply wonderful: nature, peace and quiet, great food, and enough mysterious ruins to make sure your weekends are never boring.
Okay, you. Yeah, you over there, the one who’s never satisfied. Yes, I’m talking to you: who wouldn’t want to live in the same universe and breathe the same air as the absolutely gorgeous Princess Zelda?… No, seriously… Zelda is the girl. She’s the princess. The blond guy with pointy ears and tights is named Link. Go ahead, you can Google it.
Spira, Right After Final Fantasy X
This is one of those worlds where we wouldn’t want to settle just anywhere or at just any point in time. The ideal moment would be right after finishing the main story of Tidus, Yuna, and their friends. Obviously, none of us would want to be in Spira while Sin was around, but right after the end of the game? Now that’s a completely different story. I’d sign my soul over to the devil in exchange for a humble little house in Besaid if that were even remotely possible.
Why? You tell me. Tropical beaches, Luca, blitzball, technology making a comeback, traveling between islands, and a civilization that, for the first time in a thousand years, can finally start seriously thinking about a future. And if none of that has convinced you, go on, take a trip around the world and visit its shops… Spira lives in an eternal summer, and many of the women who live there seem perhaps a little too eager to demonstrate just how uncomfortable wearing too many clothes can be.
The Magical World of Hogwarts Legacy
I think any of us who are fans of Harry Potter and that wonderful world conceived by J.K. Rowling could live in that magical reality without a second thought. And I’m not talking about “after the story of…” either. I mean at practically any point in it. Even during Deathly Hallows, I think any of us would grab a magic wand with our teeth if that’s what it took to stand against the forces of “He Who Must Not Be Named”… Okay… Calm down, Javier… get a hold of yourself!
Back to video games, I also think we can all agree that the magical world created for Hogwarts Legacy is simply fantastic, and we could easily live there without a second thought, almost anywhere in it, actually. We could live inside Hogwarts Castle, in Hogsmeade, or maybe even befriend the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest and open a spa for them and their hairy little legs. Magic and that universe would basically give us an excuse to do whatever we wanted.
- Work in Hogsmeade?
- Own a little magic shop?
- Use magic to travel?
- Brew potions for a living?
Obviously yes!
New Atlantis/the Settled Systems, Starfield
Okay, who said we had to stay on Earth? It’s time to make the leap, and what could be better than living in an established civilization, or something resembling one, out in space? You wouldn’t even have to be a space explorer. You could simply live in New Atlantis, work there, and every once in a while hop on a ship to another planet to stretch your… well, you know what I mean.
In fact, Bethesda has presented Starfield’s major cities as very different societies: the futuristic New Atlantis, the frontier-like Akila City, or the neon-soaked city of Neon. What I mean is that by choosing the “world of Starfield,” you wouldn’t even have to limit yourself to living on a single planet. You could settle on any of them, with options that would be wildly different from one another and attractive for completely different reasons.
Would you be up for a space adventure? Okay, then you’re taking me with you, because if this involves working, I already do way too much of that in real life, you hear me?
Pandora, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
We’re staying in space, but this time we’re heading to a world that’s inhospitable and hostile no matter where you look, where the animals want to eat you, the plants want to eat you, the natives want to kill you (maybe they’ll eat you afterward), and even the freaking air itself wants you dead!… Don’t be a chicken, you can’t seriously tell me that doesn’t sound awesome! The world of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has all of that, sure, but this entry comes with a catch…
It would be an absolutely perfect place to live, as long as you were Na’vi.
Besides, Pandora is visually spectacular, and if you were actually Na’vi, you wouldn’t even need technology to live, eat, stay in ridiculously good shape, or even get around, whether through the air or across the sea. Even at night, the plants themselves dress up for a bioluminescent party, meaning you wouldn’t even need a simple torch. Without a doubt, a natural paradise that barely looks real.
And well, if you didn’t want to give up your humanity, then… You’d have at least three options: 1. Wear an oxygen mask forever. 2. Get yourself one of those cloned avatar bodies, or 3. Become very good friends with Kiri, the magical daughter of Grace, whom you’ll remember from the first movie, and if you haven’t seen the latest entry in the franchise, I’ll shut up right here to avoid spoilers and simply confirm that yes, it is indeed the same universe.
So, what’ll it be? Fragile human slowly suffocating, or blue Adonis in a sexy loincloth with a braid you can use for all sorts of morally questionable bonds?
Almost Anywhere in Tyria, Guild Wars 2
- Javier, you can’t talk about Tyria… you’d need an entire article for that…
- No, no, I’ll control myself, seriously 😀
- Come on, I know you. Leave Tyria off the list…
- Get out of my head right now!
I could say a million things about this game, released in 2012, because I’ve been part of its community for many years now. But if I focus specifically on its world, Tyria offers many, seriously, MANY different biomes, along with cities, towns, cultures, and even wildly different levels of technology and knowledge. Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG with its own Homesteads feature, but if you gave me the choice, I wouldn’t need it at all. I’ve already seen the houses I want to live in, and ArenaNet had the bad manners to fill them with NPCs XD
The big thing about Tyria is that there’s literally something for everyone, and you could basically be whoever the hell you wanted to be. From the medieval landscapes of Kryta to the modern, and partly traditional, cities of Cantha, with their towering buildings and jade bots. From Rata Sum and the technology of its asura to Ascalon and its proud, fierce charr…
Okay, I’m not going to describe the entire game to you, but think about this: there are countless places where you could perch with your flying mount on nearly every map, and you’ll always find a breathtaking landscape to enjoy or an incredible view worth waking up to every single day.
Tyria is alive, whether you’re there or not. That’s perhaps one of the things that makes it unique. Do you really need more?
What sane person wouldn’t want to live somewhere where Roller Beetle Racing is basically the national sport?
New York, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Okay, yes, you’re right. New York isn’t a fictional world, but Spider-Man’s existence is… wait… no, don’t cry… I didn’t mean… What I meant is that I’m not talking about the real city, but rather the version of New York that appears in Spider-Man 2. Better? Ugh, God, my readers are sensitive… 😅
We all know New York is a pretty cool place to live. The real appeal here would be living somewhere our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man might swing right over our taxi or past the window of our apartment. That alone would make just about any real estate price worth it, wouldn’t you agree? Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Black Cat around either, but come on, you get the idea.
As we already know, Spider-Man 2 expanded its playable New York by adding Brooklyn and Queens alongside Manhattan, with places like Coney Island. We’re talking about a huge metropolis where we’ve got food, culture, concerts, parks, technology, and every now and then, a supervillain attack, which we’ll probably appreciate the next time we start complaining about being bored anyway, right?
Night City, Cyberpunk 2077
Oh, were you looking for a serious list? There are plenty of those out there. This is THE LIST. 😈
Well, we’ve already looked at paradise-like environments, incredible worlds, and even other planets. How about we stay here on Earth for a little while? More specifically, a few years into the future. A beautiful future full of business opportunities, technology, and 24/7 entertainment, where you could be whoever you wanted and literally wear whatever the hell you felt like without being judged. I’m talking about Night City, from the super-friendly (and sometimes misunderstood) game Cyberpunk 2077.
If you liked Insomniac’s New York, Night City has all of that and more, and you know I’m not exaggerating. Besides the Afterlife, which would already be reason enough, there are plenty of other joints where you could spend your nights, or your days, surrounded by handsome, cool guys and incredible, beautiful women. Of course, you’d need to take a few minor precautions before getting too close: remember, metal conducts electricity, and some parts of the human body are more sensitive to electricity than others. You’re welcome.
Yes, okay, I know Night City also has mercenaries, corporations, fixers, corruption, crime, and the occasional shootout, but aside from that and the possibility that your first three apartments might explode in less than a week, everything else makes this world an excellent place to live, as long as your life expectancy doesn’t extend beyond next Tuesday.
Besides, think about it: there really wouldn’t be any room for boredom here. If life in the city starts feeling a little too peaceful while you’re playing the model citizen, no problem. Just visit a ripperdoc and have a nice pair of Mantis Blades installed. Besides helping you deal with people who walk too slowly in front of you, they also work wonderfully as chopsticks. Then you hit the streets on a Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X that you have obviously borrowed, and let’s see which traffic light has the guts to stop you!
Of course, out of everything on this list, Night City is the worst possible place to live. Maybe that’s exactly what makes it so fantastic, and why we want to visit it so badly. Live there? Well, “living” is overrated these days… Think of the city as a cybernetic Westworld. Would you pay to be there? Obviously yes! And then you could enjoy all the chaos and lawlessness included in the fine print of your real estate contract.
Ah… hey… If you seriously think about it and you’re looking for a roommate, let me know, okay?
So…
Okay, it probably goes without saying that I never intended to take any of this seriously, but when I first thought about “worlds we could live in,” I swear I meant it, and I’ll stick to that defense until the prosecution gets bored and goes home. And of course, I’ve obviously left countless titles out of this list, but that’s where you come in. If you’ve actually made it all the way down here, throw in your two cents and tell me which of these worlds you would choose to live in, or better yet, tell me about your favorite video game universe that didn’t make this list. Come join me in the comments. Drinks are on me. You know gamer, I’ll be reading you… See you in Night City. Now I have to go, my fixer is calling. See ya! 😎
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