Becoming the Game

Exploring the idea of immersion as an exploration of a virtual space and this relationship between game and player, I put forward the idea that in order for a game to be successfully immersive to the extent that you could spend hours on end solely focused on a virtual representation of life, it is an embodiment of the gamer. Embodiment refers to the act of being embodied, so I would argue that this is true to the notion of gaming as the world and characters within it become a personification of the gamer. Because people are willing to invest so much of their time and effort into a game, something of them is embodied within it, and agency affords this.

While this notion does become more complicated with respect to the many perspectives players obtain throughout different games, it is still apparent within most if not all games. First and third person games provide this obvious engagement within the experiential space as the player has some connection whether it be that hand holding the gun or the avatar that the gamer has complete control over. Birds eye view and point of view games still behold a notion of embodiment within what I might call an ‘omnipresent’ space. Whatever you are dealing with within the world of the game, though it may not be one discernable character, is very important and equally engaging therefore in a sense an embodiment of yourself. For instance, I would argue that Age of Empires invokes similar responses and engaging play as a game like WOW, though the gamer is playing a multiple of different characters and houses alike. Therefore the immersive quality of the game itself provides the experience of embodiment and the jolt that ensues when a house is suddenly attacked or your villagers are destroyed. In a sense, for the world of concern to be applicable, it is because we care about the world within the game, therefore it must be some form of embodiment of ourselves.