Submersion in immersion

It’s what keeps you from realising its 4:04 in the morning.  It’s what whispers to you as you scroll through your games list of what to play. It’s what disconnects you from the outside world as you fail to hear the cries that dinner is ready. Folks may I present to you the most, in my opinion, impacting feature a game has had on me and what I consider an integral part in how a game can most effectively captivate its audience: through the wonders of immersion.

I know we have yet to talk about this in the lecture but there’s no harm in a little healthy discussion and I really want to speak my mind about this subject. The sense of total engulfment and being completely surrounded by a virtual atmosphere can be at sometimes breathtaking. I remember when I first stepped out of Vault 101 in Fallout 3 and gazed my eyes upon the desolate post-apocalyptic landscape. It was as if I was really there as I studied my surroundings. Immersion is created through a combination of different features; through visual captivation; the soundtrack played and the ability to interact with your environment and characters. A majestic landscape can beckon you as insects buzz around and birds sing songs of nature while you are busy picking berries for a quest giver.

 Ian Mahar from Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5949897/the-two-ways-you-become-immersed-in-video-games) splits up immersion into two categories: personal and impersonal immersion. With personal immersion, you choose what you look like and “the character responds exactly how you feel like responding to any situation”. This type of immersion relates to agency that we talked about in the past, we can interact in the game world and consequences may follow our decisions. This is a major selling point in RPGs as games like Skyrim are known their many roles in which you can take up, Orc, Redguard etc and for its lifelike environment, if you’ll pardon the dragons and arrows flying at knee height, with realistic water and clearings of lush greenery and how diverse you can make your character with multiple combat techniques. Secondly impersonal immersion is about experiencing a character’s journey from the passenger seat; it’s their own story with their own behaviour i.e. Prince of Persia, Gears of War.  The more you feel immersed in a game the more connected you are and the more fun you can potentially experience as a result.

This gamasutra article (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29910/Analysis_The_Psychology_of_Immersion_in_Video_Games.php#.UPAcQ28sl48) really gets into the nitty gritty of it all, listing the characteristics of a rich, absorbing game that add to an experience. Although visual stimuli contribute a lot to the overall experience, inclusion of background music and sound effects act as a great foundation for a mesmerising ambience. The article also talks about the psychological aspect as well as touching on how games can break its immersive consistency too through tutorial tips, damage numbers etc. Imagine people chatting to you on Facebook while you are immersed in the wondrous, mind-blowing universe of that which is Farmville, that could send people over the edge right there.

A point I’d like to raise though is that sometimes immersion can be too much. As in, personally I cannot just hit play on immersible RPGs, being engrossed in a game can take up a lot of time and I have to mentally prepare myself before going forth; kind of have to be in the right mood to settle into that sort of gameplay, so playing others games such as League of Legends, I can easily start up and not feel so “stressed” about accepting the fact I will be engulfed in the atmosphere. Do you feel me? WEIRD AY.

I’m looking forward to the lecture on this next week and expanding my knowledge about it. I’d love to hear your opinions on the matter, what games have dazzled you with their creative immersible techniques? What levels could immersion be taken to in the future etc? Happy gaming!