Unrealisticness

Virtual worlds are works of fiction. As such, they treat as true propositions which are known to be false (such as “magic works” and “dragons exist”). Any propositions not covered by the fiction derive their truth or falsehood from the world in which we live (such as “gravity works” and “spectacles exist”). However, some statements are true within the virtual world that are addressed by neither the fiction nor the non-fiction that it overrides. These contextually-unsupported statements are said to be unrealistic. Their impact on the player is generally negative, because it undermines the player’s trust in the virtual world. However, if their presence serves to show that the virtual world admits its fallibility, then the result can in the end be positive.