Immersion has become such a loaded and powerful world in the video game industry in the past couple of years, through various advancements in technology and years of statistics and research into understanding what players enjoy. So what does it mean when someone finds a game immersive; is it because they spend hours playing it without noticing how much time they have actually spent? Excitement for the events within a game or some form of empathy or connection with a character or characters? It is important to take note on how this is achieved as well as how it can be broken either intentionally or unintentionally.

Breaking immersion

As a player when your immersion is broken by something within the game it feels disappointing and detaches the player from the game world. Typically it is something that developers avoid, although there are some games where by breaking the immersion it still fits with the type of game it is; for example The Stanley Parable, a game where the players actions a narrated. Specifically, in this game it works but if the players actions were narrated in a stealth game it would break the immersion. Another way immersion is broken is through inconsistencies, either in the narrative or the world itself. For example; having objects of different era’s in the same world which may be something minimal but if the player notices, it can negatively impact the experience. Another one, although it is not that damaging, is when the game takes control of the player either through a cut scene or a scripted sequence this removes the player from being a part of that moment and he becomes and observer. This is very common in most games and has become more accepted as the transitions between the two are becoming smoother. The negative impact of breaking immersion from the players perspective is that it breaks the experience and the atmosphere it reduces the chance of the player wanting to share excitement with others.

Why immersion is important

From a developer standpoint immersion helps gauge how much people are enjoying a game, which is hard to measure consistently. Immersion helps developers become better world builders, by creating complete worlds, characters and narrative that add to the game itself through many small details. Immersion can also be linked with how devoted and innovative the developers were on a project, by creating a whole new language or an entire solar system with various planets and species, terrains, etc. Creating immersive games also builds the reputation of the studio/developer in a positive way.

From a user standpoint it enhances the experience of the game and it creates the feeling of a fully formed, fictional/non-fiction world, and it promotes exploration and discovery of the world.

References

Fallout. (2011 May 14^th). Retrieved from http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/File:FNV_CDA_Propaganda_Billboard.png