Game Real Estate: Where Would You Live?

MMORPGs created a trend by letting gamers spend so much time in a game world that they arguably live there. Second Life took this concept to a new level, interfacing with our real lives by offering in-game goods and services for actual money. Supposing that other game worlds could be easily lived in (as our normal, non-hero selves), what digital universe would you like to call home?

The first franchises that come to mind are ones that include a vibrant world where average civilians are present, such as Grand Theft Auto. To be honest though, every citizen of Liberty City or San Andreas seems to either be cruel, heartless killers or expressionless automatons who just walk around and get in the way. This kind of environment is perfect for the hardened thrill-seeker or the inhumanely patient, but if you just want to peacefully drive down main street, this wouldn’t be the place for you.

The Elder Scrolls franchise also has a large and vibrant universe that is riddled with various average pedestrians, but at least they have five or six things to say. Also, since the games take place in a facsimile of medieval Europe, we can assume that an average civilian’s life would be reminiscent of someone’s in the Dark Ages. While the idea of living in a world of magic and monsters is interesting, it would be difficult enough worrying about plagues and flus, so if you add in the possibility of a troll barreling through your cottage or a wide-eyed adventurer picking your family’s garden clean for alchemy projects, this doesn’t seem like the most fun place to be.

War-inspired games like the Metal Gear Solid or Call of Duty franchises seem to take place in a world much like ours, just with a lot more turmoil and chaos. These also seem to be horrible places to try to make your way, unless you like being drafted to be a grunt to get taken down by Solid Snake in the third level. Boo.

When we look at a current industry leader, Nintendo, we see a ton of interesting and fun worlds such as Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom. On top of their worlds’ individual merits, Nintendo has decided to mesh them all together with their countless cross-over franchises like Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart. No matter how bad the economy gets, property values in this meta-world should remain pretty high. Could you imagine being able to go to work/school by flushing yourself down the toilet? Or gaining pyro-kinesis by picking a couple of flowers? And it wouldn’t be hard, for you parents out there, to get their kids to each their vegetables if they could grow twice their size after finishing their mushrooms.

I suppose people would have to stay on their toes, since plants can be awfully dangerous, and it would be frustrating if Koopa Troopas and Shy Guys are just wandering around like they do in the games. It would be fun to stomp on them from time to time though, and since Nintendo refuses to let go of the lives system, we can assume citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom probably have that going for them.

It seems that most video game worlds are made for the benefit of the hero and not those fictional characters around them. For me, I’d much rather dodge the occasional kart race than the occasional rocket or errant Jeep. To each their own, though. What video game settings would you like to live in?