How do you define immersion?

[StaceyPowers]

I’ve noticed that when people discuss “immersion,” they are not always referring to the same thing. Usually, when I use this word, I mean “feeling like I am present in the game universe, like I am actually there.” But sometimes I see people use it to mean “emotionally invested in the game universe.” When people don’t realize they are using the same word with totally different meanings, confusion and miscommunication can ensue.

When you use the term “immersion,” what is its definition for you?

[m76]

I think emotional investment is related to the story and characters, and its possible in non-immersive  games as well.

For me immersion means given the situation and the established lore of the game, things play out in a way that is within the realm of what I consider possible.
And the actions you take in the game give the expected results and consequences. Games where outlandish and wildly unrealistic things happen are not immersive.

Anything that fundamentally defies the rules of reason, logic, and realism, hurt immersion.

My goto example of how you can as a game developer hurt immersion terribly is max payne 3. Where they made every hit you suffer from enemy fire appear as a bullet hole on your character's body. This kills immersion completely. Because a human cannot survive dozens of bullets let alone move like nothing has happened. No, what they should've done instead is not show bullet holes at all. Then I can make believe in my head that the character is so awesome and lucky  that hardly any bullets touch him, thus keeping my immersion intact. But if you are going to show dozens of bulletholes on the character that will kill my immersion in an instant. Hypothetically if you happened to play as a terminator in the game, then the bullet holes would be perfectly fine and increase immersion, not hurt it.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by m76

[Reality vs Adventure]

8 minutes ago, m76 said:

My goto example of how you can as a game developer hurt immersion terribly is max payne 3. Where they made every hit you suffer from enemy fire appear as a bullet hole on your character's body. This kills immersion completely. Because a human cannot survive dozens of bullets let alone move like nothing has happened. No, what they should've done instead is not show bullet holes at all. Then I can make believe in my head that the character is so awesome and lucky  that hardly any bullets touch him, thus keeping my immersion intact. But if you are going to show dozens of bulletholes on the character that will kill my immersion in an instant. Hypothetically if you happened to play as a terminator in the game, then the bullet holes would be perfectly fine and increase immersion, not hurt it.

 

I notice the characters in GTA 5 get bullet holes too and I'm like wtf, they don't even feel it. A bullet hole in the back with blood coming from it, they should be on their knees if not face down. It does give a little disconnect, but not completely break my immersion. 

[Crazycrab]

For it's simply how much any media product, wether it be a game, movie, book or whatever, sucks you in.

 

It's not something I feel I can define with a set of specifications.  Sometimes I will get immersed in something and sometimes I won't, even if it's something very similar.  Hell sometimes this happens to me when it is litteraly the same thing.  On my first attempt to watch Stranger Things on Netflix I didn't get into it at all but on my second attempt a few months later I binged it and was totally addicted.

[killamch89]

Immersion is when everything in-game follows the laws of that universe without fail. Also, it's something like an minor event or detail that enhances the authenticity of the gaming universe. 

[Empire]

Immersion in games is talked about so much more than in movies because in games you have to constantly account for visuals, bugs, tacticle/responsive controls etc. There are so many factors at play and as soon as the player doesn't feel in control you're snapped out of the magic that video games can create.

Immersion is broken for me when you feel like you become a spectator instead of a player, and the factors that lead to that are too many to list.

[Justin11]

I've always view immersion in a game situation as the emotional, psychological feelings around a video game which I am addicted to. 

[Reality vs Adventure]

Being physically and emotionally immersed in a game could be one and the same as well as different. I have felt both at once and separately. Being truly immersed, it's hard to separate the two. If I am deeply physically immersed, then I also become emotionally immersed. I will stand around dead bodies and think about all the horror they went through. I've only done this once, but I got so deeply immersed that I carried a slain enemy and laid them next to an altar. But there are times when I've done things I wouldn't ordinarily do in a game without an emotional attachment. And there is no way to reach that level without first having the physical immersion. It's also possible to have a strong emotional connection which can bring about the physical immersion. 

I also think that without anything traumatic, I could become emotionally immersed just being in a beautiful village. Think about how man lived which is very similar to the villages we come across in games. Of course nothing is 100% accurate. But seeing the portrayal of the ways of cooking, fishing, construction, pottery, lumbering, making bricks and stonework, crops, markets, meat carcasses hanging, sculpting, mining, dyes, blacksmiths, and everything included in those details. It all brings about emotional feelings for me. The awe and beauty; history-real or not; culture; the landscapes; the freedom; the simple freedom; yet so vulnerable. 

The beginning stages of immersion starts with either a physical or emotional attachment, then evolves to include both as complete immersion takes over. I can get very immersed at times in the physical sense, but when the music touches on something and everything seems a spiritual moment, then I know I reached the complete immersion of both physical and emotional.