[NavinF]

> same damage falling 30 feet onto a stone floor, pile of hay, or a lake

Pretty sure it's the DM's job to adjust that. Eg "You break a toe from hitting the stone floor. Roll 2d6 for damage"

That aside, I'd say DnD is more like video games than real life. Most games have minimal fall damage because it's fun to jump. Also consider Mario games where you can kill an enemy by landing on them, but never kys by landing on bricks