Discussion: which video game world would you actually want to live in?

We love to escape temporarily into the worlds of video games, but what if you could make that vacation permanent? Is there any video game world out there that, if you could, you would actually want to live in?

Charlie: The world of Psychonauts. It really has everything going for it: it’s colorful, fun, and full of quirky humor and interesting characters. And although not everyone in the world of Psychonauts is a psychic, I already know about the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp and the properties of psitanium, which means I know exactly where to go to learn psychic powers. Then in addition to the game’s normal world, I would be able to explore the minds of all of the weirdos I ran into, just like Pyschonauts protagonist Raz does. And as anyone who has played that game knows, it’s hard to imagine a more interesting life than that.

Xairylle: The world of Valkyrie Profile, mainly because I love Norse Mythology. Sure, there’s the issue of the world being brought to an end and all that, but do you know what the good part of that is? Being an Einherjar. Yep, I’d like to be an Einherjar and fight alongside the gods in the apocalyptic war, Ragnarok. And before I could do that, I’d have to be a warrior to deserve it. I’d like to skip the painful part of dying and just move to the part where I get collected by a Valkyrie, though.

Mary-Anne: I want to say Azeroth but I think if I truly had a choice, I’d say Tamriel. Specifically, Skyrim-era Tamriel. If you’ve played Skyrim then you will understand. That harsh-yet-beautiful land is chock-full of riches, danger, and most importantly, promise. For someone like me stuck in a city-state with no hope of even seeing the stars when I look up because of light pollution, Tamriel is a wild, unfettered land, sprinkled with stardust and adventure, with only the most basic of rules: kill or be killed.

Iain: Now that’s a toughie. I think I would go with Shadow of the Colossus’ mysterious land. Why? Because it’s empty and quiet. Anyone who has lived in China for any considerable time can understand the desire for peace and silence. No cars, no horns, and no crying children. Most of all, no people.

Don’t worry, I wouldn’t tangle with the Colossi, but I would pull up a chair and watch as Wander climbed and defeated them—now that’s a spectator sport I could get behind. The only downside is that I would need to ride a horse. I hate horses.