After our discussion of NPCs sashayed over to a discussion of immersion, I decided this topic warranted a new thread.
Immersion in games is a hot topic right now. Games use it in their descriptions and feature list and they brag about how one can immerse themselves in their story, environment, etc.
I am willing to bet if you ask 10 video game players to define what makes creates immersion for them in a game, you would get 10 different answers. We all play games differently and therefore, we all have different expectations for our games.
This discussion is not limited to any type of game although it might be more applicable to MMOâs and RPGs. I think other types of games apply as well since we can also use music and other areas of design to create an immersive experience for players.
What a great topic. Iâll start with something Oblivion did very well: the opening sequence. Thereâs dramatic music, camera panning over a really interesting-looking city, and Patrick Stewart (as the emperor) narrating a brief backstory. I was immediately sucked in and wanted to spend some time in that world.
In fact, since Iâve been wearing my designer hat so much lately, the effect was so powerful that it made me wonder how one could sustain that feeling. Because, alas, after youâve gotten a couple weeks into the game, it starts to feel like just running a lot of errands, not nearly as dramatic as the opening sequence felt.
The biggest issue with immersion is most gamers donât know what it means and how the term is applied. Most people assume itâs about simulation, which it kind of is, but they assume itâs a simulation of reality. The term itself is an extension off of the secondary world concept though. The simulation is around a world that doesnât have to be real, just consistent in its own rules, and then puts the player in control to tinker as he sees fit.
Immersion is pretty much how drawn into the world you are. The original Sonic the Hedgehog had great immersion; without many of the elements that weâd now consider requirements for immersion.
The game itself can be extremely poor graphics wise, or mechanics wise, and still have great immersion. Defining this quality is going to be a tough one, but the recipe for immersion is worth more than gold.
Well OK, youâre right, letâs back up and try to define what we mean by âimmersion,â at least for the sake of this thread.
I propose this: immersion is when the player forgets where they are, loses track of (real) time, and is mentally âinâ the game world.
You can see this in Chess players absorbed in a difficult game, or FPS players trying hard to frag without being fragged, or RPG players lost in the world theyâre in. Really, you can get immersed in pretty much any activity. You can also do almost any activity without immersion, once it becomes automatic. (Compare driving when youâre 16 and just learning, to driving when youâre 30 and been doing it for years.)
So, in very general terms, maybe immersion is about holding the playerâs attention. This requires:
a game deep enough to require attention in the first place
no significant periods where the player has nothing to do
âŚAnd the following maybe arenât required, but certainly help:
audio and visual effects that enhance the experience
engaging the playerâs imagination
goals and objectives the player cares about
Thatâs all off the top of my head, though⌠what do yâall think?
I donât know anyone who confuses simulation with immersion. I have played on countless role play servers and developed a game with 100âs of thousands of role players posting on forums and I donât remember even one of them mentioning simulation.
Simulation is the attempt to imitate something, usually a process, whether it be building a city or running a family, like in The Sims. The goals are to grow your city, make your family get rich, whatever. Simulation is attempting to imitate life. The more detail, the better the simulation.
Immersion is making a player feel as if they are in the environment or story. The player isnât required to pee or bathe, like they might in The Sims. Instead, they feel as though they are in a misty, smelly swamp because of the sounds, music, and various other techniques the game developer/designer uses to make the experience feel real. It doesnât simulate the swamp, it just approximates the feel of the swamp through sensory input.
I find it interesting that you use terms like âmost peopleâ. I argue that most people do not confuse the two, at least gamers donât. Simulation and RPGs are totally separate game genres for the most part, although some games do like to mix the two. I love both types and a little simulation in my RPG makes me happy, but I must admit I donât like a little RPG in my simulations. lol Do you have any insight into your statement that âmost peopleâ confuse the two? I would love to see where you draw that conclusion if you donât mind. I am curious and interested.
As a geologist, we used to simulate real world conditions in the lab. I remember creating flowing rivers in huge flumes and watching/recording data. How does this translate to real life? It may help us understand how some things work, but there are just too many variables in real life to totally simulate real life.
Immersion though, only requires one sparks the imagination, makes people feel, see, hear something that draws them into the world. Dramatic music makes one feel the drama of the experience. Visual experiences, such as fog or darkness can create a setting. A good story, coupled with music and visual experiences can make one feel. You do not need reality to feel immersed.
I think you said it perfectly. The only thing I would add is the feeling. One is immersed in a movie when they are caught up in the story and their feelings are triggered. If you feel nothing about a movie, it usually isnât very good.
I would argue this one up to a point. A player locked in a room with nothing to do for a couple of minutes, could well still be fully immersed with the help of some ambient audio. Possibly longer than a few minutes and youâll being to lose the attention of the player.
I sort of agree. Having nothing to do will eventually cause a player to seek out some new experience. I remember my character walking along a beach, nothing else to do. I felt very immersed within the environment due to the sounds and the visual stimulation. It actually created a long lasting memory for me.
Agreed â but you had something to do: enjoy the beach environment.
I was thinking of the modern trend of farming games (not just farms, but a lot of tower-building games, etc.), where the basic mechanic is âtap here, then wait 5-20 minutes⌠or spend money to get it done faster.â Thatâs very much not immersive. Pretty much the only way to play one of these games, as far as I can see, is to poke it now and then while mostly doing something else.
Yeah, that is true. Those are very much simulations though and not really meant to be immersive, imho at least. I do think they are fun and they keep you going because of the very well defined goals. I can get addicted to those but mostly because I want to win, not because of immersion.
That is something else people confuse, immersion with addiction. I think addiction comes from many places when it comes to gaming and sometimes, immersion can do that to people. But quitting the game does destroy the immersion so maybe not so bad as goal oriented addictions.
I know I play solitaire on my tablet in the evenings and I have this goal for myself to win three hands before I go to bed. Sometimes that means playing for a hour because I keep losing but I just keep on going, often missing my bedtime. I donât think the environment of that little card game is immersing me. I think it is my own self-setting goal that is doing it.
Can a goal cause a game to be immersive? I donât think so but maybe some else can make a good point about why it might be?
Personally, I do not see the draw of these âtap here, then waitâŚâ farming games. They seemed to be aimed at people who want to procrastinate or waste time. My preference is for games that draw you in, make you gasp in wonder at beautifully created environments, or make your heart race with terrifying dungeons.
I think if the goal is important to you, then it can command your attention â which I think is really the core of what immersion means.
But thatâs not enough on its own. Youâre probably good enough at Solitaire by now that you can play mostly on automatic, while your mind wanders to other things. So youâre not immersed (though youâre still enjoying it â as you point out, fun and immersive arenât always the same thing).
Conversely, something might be very difficult, so that to do it well Iâd have to give it my full attention â but if I just donât care, then Iâm probably not going to do that. I may play because of some sunken-cost fallacy or some other reason, but if Iâm really thinking âDangit, whyâd they make this so hard, this is so annoying, just let me get on to the next level fer cryinâ out loud,â then Iâm not immersed. Iâm too busy cursing the game designers to be lost in the world they designed.
I think the draw of these is based on a completely different concept: providing the user with a sense of accomplishment. It takes a long time, and eventually you build up some tower or farm or whatever, and thatâs rewarding.
But yeah, youâre not drawn in while you do it. So itâs useful to this thread as a counter-example!
All good stuff, so what are we saying are the ingredients for immersion?
Soundscape?
Near constant draw from game events?
Something to do with graphics, but not necessarily the most realistic. Is it then in the motion of world objects or the palette?
I felt deep sensory immersion in Fallout 3. Heck, sometimes when the wind blows just right I feel a wave of nostalgia for that game world. The sounds and first person perspective really drew me into the world.
On the other hand, I felt an emotional immersion in Mass Effect. The third person perspective focused my attention on the characters and the decisions I made that affected them. Unlike Fallout 3, I felt invested in the lives of Mass Effectâs characters.
In both cases, I agree with @JoeStrout that I felt agency â knowledge that I could take meaningful action â and this helped draw me in.
I agree with Tony. Immersion can be emotional or sensory but it doesnât have to be both. Agency is an interesting concept as well and story driven games that draw you in can create powerful immersion.
Emotional immersion can be created through a good story or a connection to the main characters. I was completely drawn into the story of the Longest Journey. In spite of the awkward controls and uninteresting graphics, I was very attached to the main character and was sad when the game ended. I still have strong feelings about that game. In online games, I have become very immersed in player-generated story lines which involved very intense moments. I remember crying a few times and feeling silly. Emotional attachment to other players and to your own character also can help with immersion in online games. It is what keeps people coming back for years, paying that monthly fee even if they canât play as often as they once did. They donât want to lose that character or those friends.
Sensory is probably easier to do if you can create a beautiful world, even if the graphics are not perfect. Sound, music, animations, light, scenery, atmosphere (busy town vs empty town) all combine to draw you into the world.
I also have to say that the player has something to do with this. Not all players are the same and immersion is a somewhat personal thing. While one person might be immersed in a great battle, another might find it stressful and not at all enjoyable. Some people donât enjoy interacting with other players and many feel that things like music and NPCs a waste of good resources.
Meaningful action is important in single player games. I canât image a story driven game without it. While MMOâs can concentrate on an overall changing âstoryâ that focuses more on your own little chunk of the world, a single player RPG usually has a large overarching story line, even if there are smaller bits dispersed in the game.
If you feel you can impact the story, you will be more compelled to continue playing, and you will feel immersed in the mission. This, in my opinion, makes the single player RPG very compelling and powerful.
Again though, different games will have different players so in order to make a game that will draw in your players, you need to know your audience.
Ever go back in time? This thread reminded me something I wrote three years ago (google âimmersion vs engagementâ). And reading it anew, first made me gag at how poorly I used to write. Then it made me smile, realizing how far Iâd come!
The article was âImmersion vs Engagementâ and it reflected on a scholarly paper that explored the difference between the two. Apparently, Immersion is passive, like, âI get immersed watching Game of Thrones with my wifeâ. Whereas engagement is active, like âIâm 100% engaged when I play League of Legends with my son!â
