8 Game Worlds We Do Not Want to Be Stuck In (and Why)

What game world would I absolutely not want to be stuck in? The Last of Us, without a doubt.

There is just nothing appealing about it. Yes, the infected are bad enough on their own, but it is more than that. It is the feeling that nowhere is ever truly safe. Every building feels like a risk. Every stranger feels like a threat. Even the quiet moments do not really feel quiet.

What makes it worse is that you would not really be living. You would just be getting through one bad situation after another, hoping nothing goes wrong. You would be watching where you step, listening for movement, and never fully relaxing. That constant pressure would wear you down fast.

A lot of harsh game worlds still have some sense of adventure about them. The Last of Us does not. It feels grim, exhausting and far too believable. You can imagine the fear, the hunger, the dirt, the lack of sleep. It all feels uncomfortably real, and that is exactly why I would want no part of it.

Exploring the ruins of civilization in Fallout from behind the safety of my computer screen and in the comfort of my chair can be a fun experience. But actually living in that world would be an entirely different story.

The universe of Fallout is relentlessly hostile, and survival is a constant struggle. From radiation-filled environments to mutated humans and hostile factions, everything is out to get you. Even securing basic necessities is a challenge, and every small decision you make can carry serious consequences. As much as I’d like to believe I could handle it, the reality is I probably don’t have the physical or the mental resiliency to survive in that kind of environment. The constant feeling of being on edge and the inability to let my guard down would be unbearable before long.

I never want to go back to the world of Silent Hill. Not only is it dangerous—it’s about you. The town seems to shape itself around what would hurt you the most, based on your fears, guilt, and memories. The monsters don’t just appear out of nowhere. They show how traumatized the person who is stuck there is. In a game with smart, scary design, being faced with something that knows your worst fears better than you do would be like that in real life.

It’s even worse because everything seems to be broken. It’s hard to see what’s close because of the thick fog, and strange sounds don’t tell you where the danger is. Things in the town change quickly into darker forms of reality. You can’t make plans or feel safe, and you can’t be sure you’ll be able to escape.

Some guests have asked some really fun questions while we are having coffee on the patio here in Cozumel. Recently someone asked something that really made me chuckle.

“Which video game world would you least want to be stuck in?”

I know this one.

Resident Evil.

Zombies and Travel Don’t Mix

I’ve been around long enough to see how the early days of video games evolved toward becoming so cinematic. I’ve seen my children play them, my friends have played them, and I’ve even sat down and watched them play through the levels themselves. The atmosphere of Resident Evil is very memorable. The empty streets and buildings and the slow zombies that can somehow still find you.

Good entertainment, bad vacation destination.

Imagine planning a quiet morning stroll only to discover half the town is infected.

No thank you.

I’ll Stay with Reality

Cozumel has spoiled me a bit. My mornings normally start off with sunshine shining down from the Caribbean, the palms swaying in the breeze and perhaps a quick dip in the ocean before breakfast.

Hard to trade that for locked doors and survival mode.

Video Games such as Resident Evil create an excellent story line and draw you into a whole other reality for a few hours. Once the screen turns black I am always happy to leave the chaos of the game behind and get back into the relaxed beat of island living. A much better location than the world of Resident Evil, if you ask me.

I run polar expeditions, so I know how cold pushes people to the edge. Still, Frostpunk is a nightmare I’d skip. The game mixes endless winter with impossible choices about food and heat that would make any real explorer crack. I love managing actual risk, but sitting in a frozen city watching people starve just sucks the fun right out of it.

SOMA would mess with my head. It’s not just the danger, it’s the idea of losing who you are. When we built AI at Superpower, we saw that people need to feel in control and aware. SOMA takes that away. I think game worlds that strip away your choice or reality are actually way scarier than the ones that just try to kill you.

I would definitely steer clear of a game like Doom. That’s total madness and working together is just non existent. I get tired of shooting all day long. I think because I work at Design Cloud, everything I do is about working together.

You can’t really make something meaningful in an environment like that. If you thrive on creative flourish, you’d be much better off finding a team based world, just so you’re not constantly fighting to keep yourself alive.

I wouldn’t want to be stuck in Dark Souls. The game is brutal and dying constantly kills your momentum. It’s actually tough to write about too, because when a game punishes you more than it rewards you, there isn’t much to say that keeps people interested. A little challenge is fun, but too much just makes people quit.