Batistablr:

I've been thinking about the issue a bit more since my intial post. I think that I could deliver a more developed "thesis," and in fewer words.

If you think that would be useful, let me know.

MC

As this IS a debate and not an argument:

In my opinion Immersive is "tunnel vision", you see the game and nothing else around the screen, or it could also be translated as a "feeling" where if your charactor (lets just say an RPG charactor for 'debate' sake) goes through an event in the game where "they feel" an emotion, then you, the player also feel that emotion.

and as a side not, is Immersion actually used as a gamin term aswell? I always thought that immersive and immersion had different meanings, i.e Immersion: Going into, being surrounded by water

FP(S) is also in my opinion a gaming Genre, yes it can be tweaked to third person alot of the time, but the view that is more commonly used/more easy to activate etc is normally what defines what genre the developers choose to give it. Give it the 'S' for Shooter or not in the end it does seem to define the genre - as First person 'shooter' game - compared to third person Stealth action game.

ITOE_MC lets your hypothesis on this then so we can come to an agreed conclusion.

edited on Mar. 19, 2007 05:00 pm by techno2sl

A much simplified version of immersion is basically getting into a game, not so much that you can walk up to a friend and say, "Sir! Private First Class Greenhorn (Or whatever) reporting for duty, Sir!", but still enough so that you feel like you're actually doing something, not just moving your fingers.

A (somewhat) perfect example of "extreme immersion" (if that's what you think it should be called) is when two highschoolers (some where in the U.S of A.) got so into Grand Theft Auto, they got weapons (guns) and started shooting teachers and kids.


An FPS brings this immersive feeling out in some people because it actually feels like you're shooting the gun, fighting Germans, whatever. Basically what I'm trying to say, is "immersion" is when you're into something that puts you in someone else's shoes.

For instance, DnD (Yes, that's Dungeons and Dragons) allows you to step into a dungeon as a totally different persona. You're not "John Smith" or "Steve Wilkins", but you're Faladon, a heroic knight of light that vanquishes evil. (No, that's not my char)






P.S: Beriothien, level 20 Dragonkin Sons of a Bit****!!!! LOL

ITOE_MC writes...

Sure, The more the better! Thank you all for replying.

Brandon

OK, this is my revised theory:

There are two key factors that contribute to the player's potential for "immersion" in a video game. The first is the extent to which the player is able to assume the alternate identity that the game provides. The second is the extent to which the player experiences "flow" in the course of playing the game.

As to the first factor, the assumption of an alternate identity should be conceived of as the act of "getting into character." The cumulative effect of several cognitive operations bear on the depth of the player's assumption of character. Some examples are:

(1) the extent to which the player suspends disbelief of the game world;

(2) the extent to which the player adopts the motivations of the character that the game designers provide;

(3) the extent to which the player accepts the AI characters as actual personalities, rather than mere programmed constructs; and

(4) the extent to which the player becomes invested in a "good" outcome to the story, above and beyond just winning the game.

As to the second factor, the concept of "flow" refers to what athletes commonly refer to as "being in the zone." Defined more specifically, flow is "the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed* in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity." [cite 1]

* Note that the definition of "flow" above uses the term "immersed" in a way that is distinct from the definition of "immersion" that I'm after.

These two factors, working together, produce a level of immersion that the player experiences while playing a game. What the specific level is at any given moment of game play depends on two things:

(1) how well the narrative has developed to that point, such that the main character's identity merges (to a degree) with the player's own, and

(2) the intensity of the player's focus on the game.

That's my take, as simply as I can put it. I hope others will find something useful in it, even if they don't agree with it completely.

[cite 1] – See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) for an overview of flow theory. The page contains several external references.