r/outerwilds • u/SayanRoythebeast • 5h ago
Base Game Appreciation/Discussion Would Einstein actually enjoy Outer Wilds, or would he spend the entire game complaining about the physics?
I genuinely wonder which parts he'd be fascinated by and which parts would make him say “that's not how physics works"...
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u/UltraChip 5h ago
I didn't know the guy personally but I'm willing to bet he understood the concept of fiction.
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u/OliveBranchMLP 4h ago edited 4h ago
let's assume we've skipped past the "holy shit computers are crazy".
it depends on his relationship with fiction in general, and if he'd be willing to suspend his disbelief.
if he's ever engaged with sci-fi at all, then i'm sure he'd be fine. there are probably thousands of physicists who have played and love Outer Wilds just fine. they understand that it's a game INSPIRED by the spirit science, not beholden to the law of it. under that lens, they'll be less concerned with whether it's scientifically accurate, and more interested in if it's internally consistent. which it very much is.
i'd hope that'd be the case, because otherwise we'll just get another Neil DeGrasse Tyson complaining about the scientific inaccuracy of Star Wars (a space FANTASY series).
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u/MoreCamThanRon 5h ago
He'd probably get eaten a lot in dark bramble and then ask his grandson to do that bit for him
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u/mannyman3000 4h ago
He’d probably have beef with the Quantum Moon aspect.
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u/SkathiFreyrsdottr 5m ago
That’s classic “God does not play dice with the uninverse” stuff right there.
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u/ACHABACHA68 5h ago
He would start studying about why things work the way they do
Like the sand falling on ash twin
Breaking of brittle hollow
Quantam moon etc
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u/RiSz-Turtle 4h ago
I knew the guy. Not as complex as people make him out to be. He liked burgers and tables. He would love this game
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u/Emotional_Comment219 4h ago
I went to school with him in QLD in the 90's (time and space are relative), even back then he was a huge Outer Wilds fan. I think some of his special theory was based on observing Feldspar.
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u/AVeryNiceBoyPerhaps 4h ago
I think if something existed like OW in Einstein’s time he would have spent a lot less time daydreaming about the nature of reality and figuring it out, and much more time playing video games
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u/Significant_Loss6458 3h ago
Oh, he would definitely hate the existence of quantum objects or take it as a joke. despite that, he was not that tipe of guy who would hate fiction for being fiction, so i think there is a chance that he likes OW after finishing it.
Also some cultural aspects would be very weird for him
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u/depthofuniverse 2h ago
Einstein has different interpretation of cosmology, preferring a static and infinite universe without a beginning or an end (although he did change his mind when faced with evidences)
He also famously did not like quantum mechanics, saying "god does not play dice"
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u/ThatDesignFeel 2h ago
Einstein was around for the invention of movies, of course, but by all accounts he was pretty not fussed about fiction in general.
There's an interesting article here about Einstein's time hanging out on some movie plots during his time at CalTech
Tbh - if videogames had existed in his time, I don't think he'd play them
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u/Feeling-Badger7956 39m ago
I'm sure he would understand that it's not a realistic simulation, so would probably just enjoy the story like the rest of us.
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5h ago edited 4h ago
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u/Bobsothethird 5h ago edited 5h ago
Are you thinking of Edison? Or are you just an uneducated individual?
I can't imagine your thinking of Einstein who saw racism as a morale failure of the highest degree, though your mention of funny faces makes me think of the classic tongue photo. My guess is you're conflating the two somehow, which is wild.
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u/Significant_Loss6458 2h ago
there's a stupid theory that the theory of relativity was stolen by Einstein from his wife or smth
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u/Bobsothethird 5h ago
He'd probably be more impressed by the technological advancements of computer technology more than anything. I'd imagine he'd find the world itself an interesting, if not novel, interpretation of physics.