Immersion

During the lecture when the topic of immersion was introduced it lead me to thoughts of times when I have been immersed in a game.

Immersion is a very interesting aspect to look at because I think it varies between everyone based on the subject of the game being played. I find that when I’m playing Starcraft or Frozen Throne, Counter Strike or even Call of Duty for that matter; I am not completely immersed, even if I suspend my disbelief and get well into the game.

Speaking from personal experience, when I am playing FIFA ‘10 (football game for those who aren’t enlightened) on the Playstation, it is very easy to be immersed in the game. The instinctive reactions and knowledge of what to do are the same, as if I were physically playing football. I find it is easy to be immersed despite the fact that I am looking at everything from an isometric perspective. One would imagine it is a lot easier to be immersed in a first person perspective game where you are acting as the main protagonist of the game, as opposed to a sports game where you are watching from above.

These days games seem to focus so much on the importance of the narrative, with back stories of characters that integrate story and game play which all go towards helping immersion, but the impression I get is that it’s just all based on what the player is interested in.

Also, on a semi-unrelated yet interesting note, check out this video. It’s quite a laugh. I guess this is how gamers are viewed these days.

The Online Gamer

Han-Gyul Cho