Games are really just abstractions. Play is an abstraction. Stages are definitely abstractions. A painting is an abstraction. A simulation is also an abstracti

Games are really just abstractions. Play is an abstraction. Stages are definitely abstractions. A painting is an abstraction. A simulation is also an abstraction, but a different kind. A flight simulation might simulate wind, but not a crew member getting drunk. It's there to abstract things towards a goal. Plays are often a reduction of a story - often unimportant characters and scenes get cut out. Games are a reduction to give the player maximum agency, a form of empathy, or practicing certain skills in a more controlled environment (e.g. Football Manager). But the universe? What would it be abstracting?