What is 'Immersion,' and how much does it really matter?

_LS_ · December 4, 2015 at 5:17 AM Official Post

I keep hearing this phrase. 'Immersion.' An immersive game is one where the world around you falls away. Becomes a dull background that you don't really notice. You forgrt you're pressing buttons. You think 'I am running. I am jumping. I am shooting.' I've experienced this a lot.

But for me, it has always been the result of a game being engrossing. Shovel Knight and World Of Warcraft are immersive to me. But increasingly, I see the word 'immersion' used as asynonym for 'realistic.' It seems not to be about how good the game is, but rather, how internaly consistent the game is. I've seen, for example, people complaining about lighting breaking immersion becausea room is too well illumiated for the light sources present. As if the game needs to be a recreation of reality, rather than...well, a game.

Far be it from me to daclaresomething 'bad wrong fun.' But I confess, this trend seems to be producing some really dull game design ideologies.

What do you think?

**Kaynil** · December 4, 2015 at 10:30 PM Official Post

Immersion for me is like reading a nice book. You just stop being aware if your own existence and surrounding as you are through it. All that exists at the time is the game world.

It is not about how detailed or simple it is but how you become engrossed to the point you no longer feel a control in uour hands and are thinking about what house chores need to be done.

I find that as I grew up I found hard to retain the immersion because adult mind worries too much to be in the present.

However I think I understand they cam be drop from the immersion with glaws in realistic games. Ut is the uncanny valley struggle. The more a game mimics reality the more anything that doesnt work the way it does in the real world syands out.

Games like a Link's Awakening, Megaman, Banjo Kazooie have their own in game world rules which we accept. Collecting things. Worlds connected by paintings in a Castle. You suspend some disbelief to accept the in-game world.

Trends for realism is not asking you to suspend disbelief but to take the visuals to be like your world. Expect it to work flawlessly.

I don't particularly care about yhe trend. Some games do it better than others when it comes mimicking reality. But I am concerned with the mentality that realism makes a game better. Imagine a realustic X game. Wouldn't that be better? Wouldn't that make the game Awesome?

I need varierity in my games. I like having simple games.

Now ghat it is a business as profitable as movies it is becoming even more formulaic. Giant sand games with realistic graphics. Missions. Padding with Rinse and repeat. Assassin Creed, Grand Theft Auto, Skyrim... it is becoming a paradigm.