The Illusion of Game Physics

Your favorite video game is completely lying to you about gravity. If developers actually

used real-world physics equations to simulate a falling crate, your console would

probably catch on fire. Real physics involves complex relativity and quantum mechanics,

but games don't care about that. They use a massive cheat code called a physics engine.

It is basically a giant calculator that fakes reality using vectors and simplified math.

We treat objects like simple boxes or points instead of complex matter just to save processing

power. It is all a balancing act between making it look real and keeping the frame

rate high. We aren't simulating the universe, we are just tricking your brain into