Science Fact or Cinema Fiction

Second Term Paper: Analysis of the Action Reaction Principle of Physics in Video Games

 Part of the appeal of video games is the ability to do things we can’t ordinarily do in the real world. Things like defying gravity or leaping into danger with the assurance of comfort and safety upon your arrival. Sure these things sound nice but just like the rules of a game we are bound by the laws of physics, and in this case rules aren’t necessarily made to be broken. One of these unbreakable rules, or principles of physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is true of any and all actions in the physical world. There is no such thing as a stand-alone action, it must have a counterpart. Video games violate this principle quite frequently and in ways so clever and exciting, most people don’t even realize it is happening. Video games incorporate broken physics into the basic functions of the games to further immerse their audience into the world of the game. Super smash Bros double and triple jumps

Double jumping is a very important game mechanic. Not only does it help you reach platforms you ordinarily cannot with just one jump. In most games double jumping allows for the player to recover from a hit or dodge an incoming attack. When playing a game no one stops to question the usefulness of this handy ability. But in reality it’s needless to say that double jumping makes no fundamental sense. Let’s apply a principle of Physics to help illustrate how completely impossible the task of double-jumping is. The Action/Reaction principle states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words a balance of forces acting on the same object or character. In the case of jumping the force that the character exerts on the ground in anticipation of the jump is equal to the force that the ground exerts on the character. That force is what propels the character into the air. From the point where the character reaches the apex of their jump, the only other force working on them is the force of gravity. If this is the case then in order to propel oneself even further into the air or into a different direction, one would need a force equal to gravity to stop the free-fall and one greater to moving the opposite direction of the g force acting on you the character. In Super Smash Bros almost every character is capable of performing not only a double jump but a triple jump or recovery move. This is sort of an internal propulsion is an essential part of the game. The entire play style of the game revolves around staying on the stage, and to do so these jumps are a necessity. If the game was reliant on the principles of real world physics, players would not be able to play the game for very long without getting frustrated and ultimately rage quitting

      Another form of Action reaction is demonstrated when you fire a gun. This particular reaction is called a recoil. In other words an equal force that works in opposition of the action of the projectile being fired from the gun. In the video game Ratchet and Clank, you play as Ratchet, a little dog creature that runs around firing off heavy artillery weapons without stopping to brace himself for the recoil and often times firing these heavy hitters while in midair and maintaining a constant forward momentum. This would not work in real life because in order to properly fire a standard At4 rocket launcher, for example, one must take a knee in order to widen their base of support and increase the force they exert on the projectile being fired so the force of the projectile doesn’t knock them back.

Here is an example of what happens when you do not fire this heavy artillery weapon the proper way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9tfbvGO5FA In the video the force exerted on the person firing the rocket knocks him off of his feet. So if the recoil on this smaller, shoulder-firing weapon has enough recoil to knock back a fully grown man in real life, than that force would be doubled, if not tripled on a character of smaller stature such as Ratchet. However this recoil does not occur. In fact Ratchet is able to run full speed and jump forward while firing rockets that are larger than the AT4 launcher without and problem at all. Of course if the laws of physics were applied in this scenario the game wouldn’t be very fun to play. The player would probably lose some ground while firing and more than likely take damage from their own attack. So for the sake of the game the laws of physics are sacrificed in exchange for smoother and more satisfying gameplay. Ratchet and Clank gameplay Both of these games have faulty physics ingrained into the basic mechanics of the game in different ways but one of the most outrageous displays of action with no reaction is occurs in the next game.  http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maddbbxJyr1r3dqzgo1_400.gif

      In the popular gaming franchise, Assassin’s Creed one of the most icon maneuvers is the leap of faith. Which involves scaling a massive piece of historical architecture, doing a swan dive from the very top, and landing miraculously unharmed at ground zero in a lofty bale of hay. I don’t need to point out how immensely impossible this maneuver is in reality. It is common knowledge that anyone who attempt to jump from such a height would meet there end when they reached the ground. This can also be explained with the principle of Action/Reaction.  In this video clip from Assassin’s Creed Syndicate the character makes a leap of faith from the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T8T_MgfImM According to Parliament.uk the clock tower which contains Big Ben is 320 feet (97.5 meters) high. A fall from this distance would most certainly kill the character because the force required to stop them would be equal to the force they exert on the hay pile. Although it is to that the impact of a fall would be cushioned by the hay do to the displacement of energy, in this instance there would have to be an amount of hay proportionate to the distance fallen in order to successfully slow and cushion the fall. Since this is clearly not the case the forces are unbalanced and there is little to no reaction for the action of the great impact that would naturally occur. But once again the character is spared the logic of physics in favor of game mechanics. In the simulated world of Assassin’s Creed scaling buildings is a good way to expand your map and hay piles serve as prime hiding spots for an assassin on the run. Also it is really fun to watch your character dive from ridiculous heights into the heart of the city unnoticed. This is probably why, even though it makes sense, the leap of faith has been kept throughout the games. Leap of Faith in real life

       So there you have it. Broken physics is a staple of blockbuster gaming. It is seen time and time again that the physics of our world would ruin a lot of great games and that a separation from reality is needed to a certain degree in order to fully immerse ourselves in the gaming experience.