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Revealed: The Best and Worst RPGs to Live In 2022

Published

3 years ago

July 28, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Have you ever loved a game so much, that you’d want to live there? Well, wonder no more as Currys developed a liveability score based on important metrics, such as cost of a pint, cost of transportation and cost of a room. As well as four metrics including safety, employment, work/life balance and entertainment. They enlisted the help of illustrator Jamie O’Neill to bring the reimagined locations to life.

Would you be better off in Whiterun? Skyrim ranked as the best Role-Playing Game (RPG) locale to live in.

Rank	Game	Score
1.	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	28.7
2.	Monster Hunter: World	26.8
3.	The Witcher 3 –	26.1
4.	Pokémon	25.1
5.	Diablo III	24
6.	Final Fantasy VII/Remake	20.4
7.	Fallout 4	20.6
8.	Borderlands 2	17.9

The best place to virtually live in is Skyrim as it earned the top score of 28.7 out of 50. If you’re after a good time, a city like Whiterun is the place to be thanks to its plentiful entertainment opportunities, with 153 inns and merchants to enjoy in your free time. However, this game scored a not-so stellar score of 0.1 for cost of housing and average income. In second place is Monster Hunter: World with cities like Astera receiving almost perfect scores for cost of living, which includes the cost of travel, a pint, a meal and housing. However, it scored just a three on the safety metric. In third place is The Witcher 3 and it’s one of the few RPGs listed that allows you to own a home, earning it a score of 9.3 for cost of housing. It’s also a great place to live based on the cost of a pint, setting you back 5 Orens for a pint of lager.

Borderlands 2 is the worst place to live as it scored a mere 7.9 on the liveability metric. There is no housing or room to rent, which means there’s no rest after a long day of quests. Average income is also abysmal, scoring just 0.3 on the metric. Just before Borderlands 2 is Dark Souls 3, with a total score of 20.6. With the cost of housing scoring just a 3.7 and the average income scoring 0.1, the Kingdom of Lothric is an impractical place to live.

Jamie O’Neill reimagines the best game cityscapes as real-world locations

“Based in my hometown on the little island of Jersey, I’ve always been a passionate doodler and love nothing more than to create fresh, eye-catching visuals. Having studied traditional animation and pre-production design at the Bournemouth Arts University, storytelling, expression and narrative are always at the heart of my illustrations. In recent years I’ve developed a fondness for creating bright, vibrant and dynamic digital illustrations of detailed environments, producing the majority of my work using Procreate.”

“When creating this campaign, I took inspiration from my love of video game concept design and my background in animation pre-production to influence my style. When creating these illustrations, I researched existing cities based on their economic likeness to the corresponding RPG environments. I also looked at factors that would pay homage to both the real-life locations and the fictional in-game worlds. This also included the characters that reside in them to create the final digital illustrations.”

The appeal of a virtual life

The metaverse could be described as an all-encompassing digital world that is somewhat similar to virtual reality, and is a place where you can connect to all sorts of digital environments. It can be used for anything, including work, entertainment, concerts and leisure. This provides benefits such as better connectivity with players around the world, new business opportunities and improvements to online learning and education.

Combine this with the main draw for gaming, which is the captivating storylines and the detailed graphics of expansive worlds that people can explore, either on their own or with friends. This social aspect that connects people from around the world is a huge positive as to why people love to game. Plus, their similarities to real-life aid with the escapism aspect thanks to the ability to rent a room, buy a house, eat, drink and earn money.

Where would you like to live?

The methodology behind selecting which real-world locations to use for each RPG was based on the most prominent or interesting metric that was revealed during data collection. For example, a game with a vast amount of entertainment opportunities and missions or ‘employment opportunities’ was compared to a cosmopolitan city.

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Meridianbet Doubles Down on Belgium: New Casino License Unlocks €455m Market Segment

Published

2 hours ago

December 22, 2025

George Miller

Editor’s Take

Why this matters: This is a classic “Cross-Sell” play. Meridianbet has already spent seven years building a sports betting database in Belgium. By securing this B+ license, they can now monetize those same users with higher-margin casino products (slots, table games) without needing to acquire new traffic from scratch. With the Belgian casino sector growing at 20% year-over-year, this is a significant revenue unlock for the GMGI portfolio.

The Full Story

Meridianbet, the sports betting and gaming operator owned by Golden Matrix Group Inc. (NASDAQ: GMGI), has successfully expanded its regulatory footprint in Europe by securing a B+ online gaming license in Belgium.

The new license (B+ 4016) authorizes the company to launch a comprehensive online casino platform—featuring slots, table games, and automated live games—starting in January 2026. This move significantly broadens the operator’s capabilities in the country, complementing its existing sports betting operations which have been active in the Belgian market for seven years.

Targeting the Largest Market Segment The strategic rationale behind the license is clear: Casino is now the dominant force in Belgian gambling. According to the Belgian Gaming Commission, the online casino vertical generated €455 million in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) in 2023, representing a 20.2% year-over-year increase.

By entering this vertical, Meridianbet gains access to the largest and fastest-growing segment of a market that generated a total of €944.6 million last year.

Tech-First Entry Meridianbet plans to deploy its proprietary AI Casino Recommender technology for the Belgian launch. This system analyzes player behavior and preferences in real-time to deliver personalized game suggestions, a crucial differentiator in a highly concentrated market where just ten operators account for 94% of all online wagers.

Regulatory Context Belgium is known for having one of Europe’s strictest regulatory frameworks, characterized by rigorous compliance standards and player protection protocols. Securing this license validates Meridianbet’s operational standards and deepens its foothold in a “mature” market that is notoriously difficult for new entrants to penetrate.

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LinkDataMedia Drops ‘Startup’ Look with Major 5th Anniversary Rebrand

Published

6 hours ago

December 22, 2025

George Miller

Editor’s Take

Why this matters: In the iGaming affiliate space, the five-year mark is a critical survival threshold. Many media startups fade away before reaching it. LinkDataMedia’s decision to rebrand now is a classic “graduation” signal. By shedding their startup skin for a more corporate, “blue-chip” aesthetic (the stability-focused blue triangle), they are telling operators and partners that they are no longer just an affiliate project, but a stable infrastructure partner ready for larger commercial deals.

The Full Story

LinkDataMedia, the parent company behind the popular affiliate portal Gamblers Connect, has announced a comprehensive corporate rebrand to coincide with its fifth anniversary.

The overhaul includes a completely refreshed brand identity, a redesigned logo, and a fully revamped website, all of which are now live. The move is described by the company not as a mere cosmetic update, but as a strategic pivot designed to distance the business from its “startup roots” and reflect its current status as an established player in the competitive iGaming media landscape.

Visualizing Maturity The new visual language features a modernized blue triangular logo, a shape chosen to represent “stability and forward momentum.” The digital user experience has also been streamlined, offering partners a cleaner interface that aligns better with the company’s matured operational capabilities.

Management Commentary Gjorgje Ristikj, Founder and CEO of LinkDataMedia, commented on the significance of hitting the half-decade milestone in such a volatile industry:

“Surviving the first five years in business takes more than luck. It takes belief, resilience, and the right people around you. This milestone, and the rebrand, reflect exactly that.”

Implementation The new branding has already been deployed across the main corporate website and is currently being rolled out across LinkDataMedia’s social media channels and internal communication platforms. As the company enters its sixth year, the refreshed identity aims to set the stage for a new phase of expansion and innovation.

The post LinkDataMedia Drops ‘Startup’ Look with Major 5th Anniversary Rebrand appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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Win Systems to Debut New ‘Gold Club Colors’ and WIGOS Upgrades at ICE Barcelona

Published

6 hours ago

December 22, 2025

George Miller

Editor’s Take

Why this matters: As ICE makes its historic move to Barcelona, established tech providers like Win Systems are under pressure to bring their “A-game” to the larger venue. The focus here isn’t just on cabinets; it’s the ecosystem. By highlighting WIGOS (their CMS) alongside WIN PAY, Win Systems is positioning itself as an infrastructure partner, not just a hardware supplier. The debut of the Gold Club Colors roulette specifically targets the growing demand for visually customizable electronic table games (ETGs).

The Full Story

Win Systems, the global provider of technology for the gaming and entertainment industry, has confirmed its product roadmap for ICE Barcelona 2026, the sector’s most significant international event taking place from January 19 to 21.

Exhibiting at Stand 3M30 at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via, the company will leverage the new venue to showcase a broad portfolio designed to cover the entire casino floor—from management systems to the gaming floor itself.

Systems and Fintech At the core of the showcase is WIGOS, the company’s flagship Casino Management System (CMS). WIGOS is widely recognized for connecting thousands of machines across multiple countries, and the Barcelona display will focus on advanced tools that streamline daily operations and optimize player retention.

Complementing the CMS, Win Systems will present WIN PAY, its secure transaction platform. As cashless and seamless payment solutions become standard requirements for operators, WIN PAY offers the necessary efficiency and security controls for modern gaming environments.

Hardware: Roulette and Slots On the hardware side, Win Systems is refreshing its electronic table game offering with the new Gold Club Colors electronic roulette. The Gold Club line has long been a staple in the company’s portfolio, known for its compact footprint and reliability; the “Colors” iteration promises to maximize visual impact on the floor.

Alongside the roulette, the company will display its latest slot hardware, including the Sublime and Rhapsody cabinets. These units are designed to house the company’s extensive game library, which has been adapted to suit diverse market profiles from Europe to Latin America.

Strategic Goals Win Systems aims to use the three-day event to reinforce its 30-year legacy in the industry. The company described its participation as a commitment to “continuous innovation,” inviting operators and regulators to explore how their integrated solutions can improve in-room performance.

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