Rank 6: Realistic Setting
- For this setting, 7.73% (152) of the participants voted.
What are the features of the setting? The realistic setting, also known as realistic fiction, is one of the settings that are widely used in media.
At the core of the setting is realism. The realistic setting depicts situations that, while fictional, could still happen in real life. Therefore, it lacks any magical or other supernatural elements that do not occur in our world.
Through the realistic depiction of places and characters, the setting allows for a stronger identification by the reader, viewer, or gamer.
Examples from gaming: In the gaming world, the realistic setting is popular. Many simulators use realism as their backdrop, such as Microsoft’s Flight Simulator or the Farming Simulator.
In MMOs, it is primarily modern military shooters that use the setting. The most well-known are the Call of Duty series or Battlefield games, where you take on the role of a soldier.
These games often use real-existing locations where the action takes place or weapons that exist in real life. But the setting of the battle royale game PUBG is also considered realistic, although it takes place on a fictional island in the Adriatic Sea.
Rank 5: Alternate Reality
- For this setting, 8.29% (163) of the participants voted.
What are the features of the setting? The events take place in a world that resembles our reality but diverges in some core aspects.
In general, the “alternate world” setting is divided into different types of “parallel realities.” These include among others:
- Alternative timeline or history
- Alternative universe (or multiple)
- Other dimension
- “Dark World,” meaning our world but much darker
- Constructed world and several others
The look of these alternative realities can therefore vary greatly. Generally, one can say that in such a setting, an element from reality is taken and changed.
Examples from gaming: Alternative realities, time spans, and worlds are a popular device in gaming, even if they do not always parallel our own world. In single-player games, you can find them in Assassin’s Creed or The World Ends with You.
In the MMO sector, Secret World Legends and the upcoming New World utilize the setting of the alternate reality. While Secret World takes place in our time and allows all urban legends to become true, New World is set in an alternative past.
MMOs also like to use parallel realities from their own worlds. Final Fantasy XIV, for example, has 14 worlds that are referred to as “reflections” of the original world.
Rank 4: Post-Apocalypse
- For this setting, 9.4% (185) of the participants voted.
What are the features of the setting? The apocalypse is the end of the world, also known as doomsday (literally: day of doom).
The post-apocalypse is a setting that takes place after the end of the world. It is an old setting that has even been addressed in the Bible, such as in the story of the flood.
The apocalypse involves catastrophic events and their consequences for people, animals, and the world in general. The catastrophic event can take many forms. Common examples include:
- Nuclear war
- Worldwide natural disasters
- Severe plagues
- zombies, aliens, or beings from other dimensions
- machines going out of control
This directly shows that the post-apocalypse often incorporates elements from other settings. Therefore, various games with this setting can vary greatly in appearance, depending on what the trigger for the apocalypse was.
Examples from gaming: The post-apocalypse is a popular setting in video games that has been used since the early days of the medium. The most prominent examples are the Fallout games, State of Decay, and the popular Metro games.
In MMOs, the setting is also well represented. It appears in survival games like Fallout 76 or Last Oasis, each taking different triggers for their apocalypses. But you can also find the setting in multiplayer shooters like Remnant: From the Ashes and Gears of War.
Since the post-apocalypse is primarily defined by the major element “doomsday” and its consequences, it is less frequently used as a side element in other settings compared to other points in our ranking. For example, only one continent was affected by the nuclear apocalypse in Lost Ark.
You can find the best games with a post-apocalyptic setting in our best list.
