system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How bad would it be if I unplugged or turn off power to a system that is updating?

Ex. Playstation, computer ect..
gpt
You can potentially corrupt critical system files which may prevent you from booting the operating system (in which case you won't be able to use the computer/device without re-installing the Operating System or repairing the corrupt system files).

In particularly bad cases, you may brick your device. This can happen if, for example, the computer/device was in the middle of updating low-level hardware firmware. In this case, it may be very difficult or almost impossible to get the device working again without replacing hardware components or doing some advanced hardware repairs.

If you're lucky, the affected file(s) are not critical system files and there may be no obvious negative impact/effect of the premature shutdown. However, just because the computer/device turns on afterwards doesn't mean there is no harm done, you could still encounter problems/errors long into the future that are the direct result of data/file corruption that occurred when the power shut off.