Real or Fake? Exploring Physics in Video Games Quiz Quiz

Challenge your knowledge of real-world physics and how they are portrayed or bent in video games. Identify which scenarios align with scientific principles and which ones break the rules for gameplay excitement, helping you distinguish between accurate physics and fictional fun.

1. Jump Heights in Games

   In many platformer video games, characters can jump several times their own height in a single bound, often chaining multiple jumps in mid-air. According to real-world physics, is this possible for humans without assistance?

   1. Yes, if gravity is temporarily reduced by concentration.
   2. No, humans cannot naturally jump that high without assistance.
   3. No, but it is possible with fast running shoes.
   4. Yes, with strong enough legs, it is possible.

   Explanation: In reality, humans have biological and gravitational limitations that prevent them from jumping several times their own height, especially consecutively in mid-air. The idea that strong legs or special shoes (answers B and D) could achieve such heights ignores these constraints. Reducing gravity by concentration (answer C) belongs to science fiction, not physics. The correct answer reflects the boundaries of human ability and Newton's laws of motion.

2. Falling Damage and Landing Surfaces

   Some video games let a character fall hundreds of meters without injury if they land in water, regardless of depth. In real physics, what typically happens to a person who falls into shallow water from a great height?

   1. The water always safely breaks the fall.
   2. The person bounces off the water unharmed.
   3. The person is likely to be seriously injured or killed.
   4. The person can swim away without feeling the fall.

   Explanation: When landing in shallow water from a great height, the force on the body is similar to hitting a hard surface, often resulting in severe injury or death. In real physics, water doesn't always break falls safely—this only occurs at lower heights. Bouncing off water unharmed (C) or swimming away without feeling the impact (D) misrepresents the danger, while option B exaggerates water’s protective effect.

3. Object Destruction in Virtual Worlds

   A video game allows players to destroy large concrete walls by hitting them repeatedly with their fists. According to the laws of physics, what would actually happen in such a scenario?

   1. Both the wall and the player's hands would be unharmed.
   2. The player's fists would be severely damaged long before the wall breaks.
   3. Nothing would happen because concrete walls are indestructible.
   4. The wall would crumble after enough punches.

   Explanation: Concrete is much harder and denser than human bone, meaning striking it repeatedly would cause severe injury to the hands, not the wall. While option B suggests endurance but ignores material strength, option C incorrectly claims concrete is indestructible, and D is unrealistic since both would experience force upon impact. The correct answer matches material science and injury mechanics.

4. Conservation of Momentum in Game Collisions

   In a racing game, when a small car crashes into a much larger, stationary truck, the truck moves far across the road while the small car is unaffected. How does this differ from real-world momentum conservation?

   1. In reality, the small car would likely be stopped or bounce back, while the truck would move only slightly.
   2. The small car and truck would both remain stationary after impact.
   3. The small car should always move the truck a great distance, as shown.
   4. Both vehicles would disappear after the collision.

   Explanation: According to momentum conservation and mass, a much heavier truck would barely move when hit by a smaller, lighter car, and most of the force would act on the small car, stopping or bouncing it back. Option B incorrectly matches game physics, not reality. Both vehicles remaining stationary (C) overlooks momentum, and option D is a fictional event, not physics-based.

5. Projectile Motion and Gravity Settings

   A first-person shooter game features grenades that float in slow arcs and can take several seconds to land even when thrown a short distance. How does this behavior compare to real physics?

   1. This is only true if there is no air resistance.
   2. This shows perfectly realistic projectile motion.
   3. This is unrealistic, as real gravity would cause the grenade to fall much faster.
   4. This is accurate if the grenade is extremely light.

   Explanation: In real life, Earth's gravity causes thrown objects, regardless of mass, to follow a quicker downward trajectory unless external forces act. Extreme lightness (option B) or lack of air resistance (option D) do not account for such long airtime. Option C incorrectly assumes the game's arc matches real-world physics, while the correct answer shows a misrepresentation of projectile motion.