Editing Mimesis

'''Mimesis''' is a term from Aristotle's ''Poetics''. It refers to that simulation of real-life sufficient for audiences to suspend disbelief.

For Aristotle, whether gods existed or whether magic was loose in the world was something you may or may not believe yourself, and - also - something your audience may or may not believe. But you as a playwright have a world to build. What matters was and is that the magic in your setting has rules - that everything be consistent internally. If you set out a play which posits that magic exists, your audience will forgive this. That audience will NOT forgive if the play went on to break those rules which the play had set out itself.

Also, where not stated as magic upfront, the rest of your world should behave according to the physical laws of this world right here.

Over in rec.games.int-fiction (or maybe it was rec.arts.something-something - look it up), some nerd in the mid/late 1990s ranted about "crimes against mimesis". This ended up in a text-adventure game called "Sins Against Mimesis". This game, which was not good as a game, mocked the conventions of the text-adventure form. For instance: that internal compass which every adventurer was supposed to keep in his head. ">GO NORTH", and such. So there's a room in there with an actual compass rose on the floor. Technically more /v/ than /tg/, we'll grant.

[[category:Gamer Slang]]