Basically in the game the universe is a simulation that only has 16 minutes (real time) left to run, but that still translates to billions of years in universe, and the number 16 manifests everywhere as the computer/AI tries to fix itself.
But we have game engines that approximate physics, so if an NPC like Newton were watching he could figure out gravity from the game engine because even though it's not a real thing in the game it's based on our reality, but what if a player opens a portal and steps through and is transported to another universe or solar system?
They could come up with all kinds of convoluted 'physics' to explain it based on what they know of physics based on watching the games engine do its thing.
But this time the physics in universe isn't based on anything 'real', it's just some random code someone like us wrote to teleport players.
If they couldn't find a physics answer they might call it magic.
What if magic in our reality is just rewriting the game engine code in game?