Computer games and Quantum Mechanics

[MigL]

I recently read a column in MaximumPC magazine by Tom Halfhill ( whose day job is as an analyst at Microprocessor Report and who I've read since Byte magazine in the 80s ) on the computer simulation of the whole universe.

He had the rather naïve idea that since information is encoded as particle states in modern computers, and since just to encode all the information of a single particle would require a multitude of other particles, then by necessity a computer much larger than the whole universe is required to simulate the existing universe,

 

But then he stated something which might make the simulation possible, and whichcaught my attention.

In simulation games, like the Sim series, very little actual detail is provided.

It is only when you examine or interact with a certain location, that the simulation provides added detail or information.

This would then be a way that the whole universe could be simulated with limited computational information/storage.

 

This bears a striking resemblance to Quantum mechanical effects, Local detail does not become apparent until it is observed or locally interacted with. That is when the probabilistic wave function collapses to a definite state.

 

Could the universe actually be deterministic, then, and Quantum Mechanics just a 'trick' the universe uses to encode vast amounts of information ?

Are we living in SimUniverse ?