Prince of Persia: Lost Crown, World of Mount Qaf
LOGNET Editor-In-Chief, Mahmood Ghaffar
Mahmood is one of the hardest-working EICs I’ve ever met. He’s always in the trenches, pushing every article to be the best it can be while keeping all of us—writers and editors alike—on track. He constantly goes out of his way to bring new members onto the team and guide them as they grow. Speaking from experience, he edits the majority of my work, and he does an exceptional job every single time. Mahmood has taught me so much throughout my writing journey, always finding ways to help me improve and elevate my pieces. He even helped shape the idea for this very article. Here’s what Mahmood shared with everyone.
If I had to be stuck in a video game, aesthetics and relative safety are high on my list. That is why I would tolerate being stuck in the Prince of Persia Lost Crown world of Mount Qaf. The game provides so much variety in its biomes, along with a Middle Eastern and supernatural flair to add. The maze-like catacombs, vast deserts, and thunder-stricken seas are some truly lovely sites to behold.
Now, when it comes to safety, there is little of it in the Prince of Persia Lost Crown world. However, if you ever need a breather, the Wak-wak trees will provide some much-needed tranquility. Plus, I will assume I will inherit Sargon’s amazing acrobatic abilities and just swing and wall run across Mount Qaf.
The Pokemon World
Member of the Gaming Circle Podcast Community & Tech Guru, Lucius Augustus
I had the privilege of breaking bread with Lucius this past June. We spent a good amount of time together during the gaming events surrounding the Xbox Showcase, sharing great conversations about gaming and the industry as a whole. His insight was always appreciated and genuinely valued. And the world he chose to live in—or be trapped in—ended up being one of my personal favorites.
Video Games provide one of the best interactive experiences in the world. Some of the best video games are incredibly immersive and provide an escapist fantasy, where the player embodies an athletic character with almost unlimited stamina, grip strength that would break rocks, but is emotionally intelligent enough to navigate the complex inter-relational dynamics of a multipolar society.
Now, as much as I would love to be transported to an incredible game world of my choosing, having some of the most broken stats and arcane knowledge of future events, my realist/pessimist brain refuses to let me enjoy that fantasy. So, what if you get sent to a video game world but you have the same body you have now, where could you thrive, in an environment that provides enough adversity to feel challenged but safe enough that you don’t need incredible physical abilities to just survive day to day?
And The Choice Is…
The world of Pokemon seems to pop up in my head as a viable solution. Pokemon Centers are an establishment that provides regulatory services for Pokemon Trainers. Most of those services are even free. Pass out in the middle of a cave somewhere? No worries, some good citizen will pick up your limp body and drag you to a Pokemon Center somewhere. The cute salamander (Charmander) your professor gave you at the tender age of 10 at some point grows up, can fly 4600 feet in the air, and the flame inside its body burns hotter than 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit (Charizard).
Pokemon abilities and moves vary from a simple bite to a photon burst called “Light That Burns the Sky,” which looks like 100 nuclear bombs going off at once. Strength is determined by your wit, patience, and the relationship between your Pokemon. This doesn’t mean this video game world doesn’t have its own conflict; in a world where everyone can have a bazooka on their belt, they use it quite often. Organizations with nefarious means have spread across the globe. Organized Crime Families, Corrupt Corporations, Nature Terrorists, and Religious Zealots all use Pokemon as a dynamic show of force.
These organizations cause catastrophes at a global scale; worldwide drought/flood, reality warping events, nuclear weapons, and inter-dimensional invasions happen quite regularly. And though a lot of that sounds incredibly dangerous, the citizens of that world continue living their lives like normal. Of all the video game worlds I could live in, a place that provides a sense of adventure, collection, and a bit of danger without requiring all of us to look like Lord Cognito, Pokemon seems to be the perfect place.
Detroit from Detroit Become Human
Host of Optional Opinion, Nintendo Pow Block, and a Member of Boss Rush Network, Edward Varnell
At PAX East a couple of years ago, I had the chance to meet several members of the Boss Rush Network. One of the people I’ve been fortunate to share conversations with is Edward. I’ve never had a bad interaction with him—he’s always positive, always supportive, and always lifting others in the gaming community. And the world he chose to live in or be trapped in was…
As a gamer for over 40 years, I have experienced many worlds and lands over many genres, consoles, handhelds, and even some PC games. There are many we can choose from, but for me, you would think it would be Nintendo-related, since I am big on Nintendo and their IPs. Funny enough, you would be right to think that, but I am here to apologize and also say, I actually have another place in mind from another company, and one you would least expect.
The world I would love to live in is Detroit from Detroit: Become Human by Quantic Dreams and published by SCEA. A world where humans and androids work and live together. Something about the beautiful yet chilling world brings a beautiful mystery to our lives. These are questions that even seem to resonate today in the real world.
Plus, I can eat some real Detroit Pizza, see how androids can positively help humanity, see what happens when they are given a personality and freedom, and learn if crime goes down and how much these android payments are for society. Will there be a revolt? Would androids be running off to Canada? Will trust between androids and humans in the police happen? That is something I would love to see in that world by living in it.
Cyberpunk 2077
Co-Founder/Co-Host of GWG Podcast, Maria “Lady Infamous415” Ramos
Next up, we have one of the Co-Founders and Co-Hosts of the GWG Podcast, Lady Infamous415. When she’s not chopping it up with the other ladies from GWG, you can find her racking up kills in every FPS she touches. You might even catch her showing off her top-tier shoe game over on TikTok. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her in person and hanging out with the amazing women of Grown Women Gaming on the podcast. This was the world she said she’d live in—or be trapped in.
It was a rough beginning for me because I bought it, the first day it came out, and it had a ridiculous number of bugs. I saw past that and saw a world. I never thought I would see. The CD PROJEKT RED redemption arc needs to be studied. They believed in that project so much that they fixed it to the point that it really is a different game now.
Seeing What You Can See…
I like to walk in the world, don’t do any missions, and just explore and see what I can find these days. I’m on my second playthrough, and this time around I wanna go through every nook and cranny. I am taking my time with it. I love the colors. The sounds and the music are amazing. Another thing I love are the NPCs’ interactions with each other. After the game, I explored everything in Cyberpunk 2077. I wanted to see how much I could learn about the world, and it is almost refreshing. Kind of bummed that we don’t have any multiplayer, but it doesn’t negate the fact that they really took their time out with this world.
Night City (Cyberpunk 2077) is the perfect world to live in because it elevates the struggle for survival into an art form. It is the romanticized vision of a world where style, power, and pure grit make eddies that matter, making the city not just a place to live, but a forge where a legend can be violently, beautifully made. “ There are no good endings in Night City.” That may be true, but there are plenty of stories to uncover. See you later, choom!
Animal Crossing
Host of the Fun Speculation YouTube Channel & Co-Host of Sup Babe Channel, Fun Speculation (Mav)
The next person sharing his thoughts is none other than Fun Speculation, better known as Mav. He’s been like family and one of my biggest supporters for a long time. He’s invited me onto his shows and has always been willing to talk about anything, anytime. Mav has hosted a wide range of shows on his YouTube channel—including FSP, PM in the PM, and Xbox Ultimate—and now even co-hosts the Sup Babes Podcast and channel. When he’s not podcasting or creating videos, you can usually catch him streaming on his channel. Mav is truly one of the “pillars of positivity” in the gaming community, and here’s what he had to share.
Hmmm, this is a tough question… Video game worlds come with so many positives and negatives. How dangerous is it to live there? What abilities would you have? How beautiful is the world? What era are you stepping into? With all that in mind, this choice becomes very tricky. So I think the best answer is to pick a world that’s super chill and endlessly relaxing. And that leaves one obvious choice: Animal Crossing!
