immersion vs realism, where should rockstar draw the line for gta 6?

Been thinking about this a lot lately with all the fuel talk. People keep saying they want GTA 6 to be realistic, but I don't think realism and immersion are the same thing at all.

Take the gas example. You're mid mission, car runs out of fuel, you can't get to a station, you get shot and fail. That's realistic, sure. But is it fun? Is it immersive? For me it would just be annoying. Overly realistic mechanics can actually yank me out of the experience instead of pulling me in.

On the flip side, something totally unrealistic can still feel immersive if it's consistent with the game world. GTA has always had that. You can flip a car back over by pushing it, you can survive a 50 foot fall if you land in water, whatever. It works because the game commits to its own rules.

I'd love to see some realistic touches like having to fuel up, but I can't picture how Rockstar would do it without it becoming a chore. Same with NPC behavior, dynamic world events, interiors, everyday activities, driving physics, consequences, a more persistent world. All of that could boost immersion, but only if it serves the gameplay. The moment it becomes tedious, it's a problem.

Remember when GTA Online first made you pay around $15k every time you died? It definitely made people more cautious and act a bit more realistically. But if you had to pay that every time a griefer killed you, it would have been outrageous. There's a line between consequence and punishment.

So where do you think Rockstar should draw that line for GTA 6, and which realistic features would actually make the game more immersive for you instead of just getting in the way?

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Source: r/GTA6 · Curated content.