Two senses of realism

[Johannes]

Hi there,

Maybe we should now clean up this byzantine terminology. I propose this set of definitions:

Realism = Realism 1, the degree of similarity between the actual world of the player and the fictional world of the game. High realism leads often to hig plausibility. (Realism 3)

Positivism = Realism 2, the idea that the mechanics simulate the in-game reality in an objective and accurate way. Imagination and interpretation are not needed in the simulation. Primacy of system over subject. Dice facism. (Guess am I pro or against this one?) Positivist is never satisfied with either the system or the setting. Positivism leads easily to detailism. The relation between system and in-game reality is similar to literary realism's relation between language and reality.

Detailism = The idea that detailed games are better. This can be because of positivist attitude or for some other reason like reality effect.

Plausibility = (Realism 3?) The general believabilty of the game world. This can mean realism but it contains also coherence and thought out in-game causality, reality effects and minimal departure from generic landscapes.  I don't mean that avant-garde settings are unplausible but I stress that players must work harder to make them plausible.

All these isms are something that is present to a degree, not either on or off.

Any comments on this terminology?

[Mike Holmes]

Sounds pretty good to me. Just to be politically correct (  ;-)  ), I'd call what you describe as Positivism as Radical Positivism, and leave Positivism to mean those who have the weaker, more rational opinion.

But other than that, it's looking pretty solid to me.

Mike