“Well, actually, spaceships wouldn’t move or turn like that in a vacuum, they’d pivot independently of their motion” – Someone talking about Star Wars Squadrons

When discussing gaming worlds, debates sometimes get a little heated. Thing is, most of the disagreements come from one gang claiming something is “unrealistic”, and everyone interpreting that differently.

When it comes to well-baked fictional worlds, what tends to matter to our experience isn’t actually realism, but authenticity…

Realism and Authenticity Differences

The terms realism and authenticity obviously exist outside of gaming discourse.

We might describe a zoo as having realistic replicas of the animals for sale in the shop, while we would describe a Japanese meal served in the UK as authentic, if it was true to the Japanese experience.

In both cases we are assessing how “true” something is to another.

Realism is a statement on how close to our lived reality something is, or appears to be.

Authenticity is a statement on how close to a specific instance of a reality (lived or not) is, or appears to be.

And that’s the kicker. Stories tend to fall apart not because they aren’t realistic, but because they aren’t authentic to the world they are supposed to take place in.

Authenticity and Realism in Star Wars

If we wanted to asses the realism of a spacecraft from a fictional universe, we’d have to use our current understanding of physics, metals, construction, etc to develop that opinion.

However, this spacecraft exists not in our world, but in the world of, for example, Star Wars.

So, if we instead assess the authenticity of a spacecraft from a fictional universe, we have to use all world-building and presented information from within the universe we are examining.

Just like with the Japanese food in the UK, you don’t assess it against a Fish and Chip shop, you assess it against the original experience it is trying to emulate.

In the case of Star Wars, which is a world war film in a sci-fi skin, the starfighters fly through space like planes. Ever since the first film they roll to turn, they move the direction their nose is pointing, they fly in formation. This is true all the way through the first two trilogies. Everything about how the Star Wars universe works implies that starfighters behave almost exactly as we’d expect planes to in-atmosphere. It isn’t “realistic” that starfighters should fly in that way, but is just is how they do in the Star Wars world.

If Star Wars were in our reality, there’s plenty of “immersion breaking” incorrectness (even if we give the benefit of the doubt that such things could feasibly exist).

But, since it isn’t, we should be judging art and games within the Star Wars universe based on their authenticity to that universe and the consistent rules set by the Star Wars universe itself.

Obsession with Realism Restricts Artistic Intent

Starfighters in Squadrons fly like planes because that’s authentic to Star Wars, laser guns make sound in a vacuum because that’s authentic to Star Wars. Your experience should be measured against authenticity, not realism, lest we reduce all art to a restrictive creation process which limits new ideas.

That’s not to say authentic depictions are always inherently good art, but it’s an important distinction for so many “that makes no sense” arguments that just completely ignore the established world that the game, film or book exists in.

And, if after considering the difference between realism and authenticity something still seems out of place, then you know you’re onto something worth discussing, because that implies a real lack in the quality and consistency of the worldbuilding, writing and design.

(Of course it’s a little more complex than that, because in the Marvel Cinematic Universe the most authentic thing is, at all times, whatever is coolest. Captain America’s shield can bounce one second and absorb all energy the next because it’s just cool to twang it at people while also being able to block bullets, so the most authentic thing for an MCU film to do is screw consistency in the name of a cool shot.)