Do readers really need magic systems explained in depth ?

[eclipse]

I don't really remember hearing the phrase "magic system" until quite recently. Maybe in gaming, but never in fiction. The fact that it is now a standard thing that people expect from their fantasy is a little bit depressing. See also worldbuilding. It's like there's an expectation you'll have everything worked out before you ever start writing a story, when, to my mind, the story ought to come first. The world should be built to serve the story, and you don't need to build anything you don't use. Heck, maybe you ought to leave some wiggle-room for the sequels.

But then, I really like Sanderson's books, so what do I know?

How long have we’ve been using the word magic system in fiction?

[ScarletBea]

How long have we’ve been using the word magic system in fiction?

I think it's more a case of people talking about books as a community more now, so they need to find the words...
It's a system and it's not from our world, therefore 'magic', hence "magic system"

[cupiscent]

I tend to prefer using the term "special physics" because that also covers strangenesses that aren't really a "system". And I feel like I heard that term before I started hearing "magic system", but perhaps that's because I came at this from a literature/writing perspective, rather than a gaming perspective? (Both perspectives converging on "speculative fiction".)