Starker on 7/1/2017 at 07:14
I absolutely agree that we have to look at different aspects of immersion, but also at what it means in this genre. It's not just immersiveness, it's immersiveness in the service of a particular purpose. Just as a funny movie that also has some romance in it is not necessarily a romantic comedy, an immersive game that has some simulation in it is not necessarily an immersive sim. That is not to say that there has to be a specific formula, but I think that we have to look at what a game does and how it succeeds in the context of the genre and to do that we have to at least sort of agree on what the genre is and how its elements function.
Quote Posted by Yakoob
2) World immersion - feeling like the whole game world is believable. You know it's when you stop questioning what doesn't make sense (suspension of disbelief) and start caring about the outcomes and NPCs.
Yup, verisimilitude sure is a big part of it and definitely worth looking at separately. For example, whether too many real world references strain credulity and what fits in the world and what feels out of place. We can probably leave easter eggs out of this, though, if they are well hidden.
Quote Posted by Yakoob
3) Simulation (?) immersion - feeling like the world physics and design rules are consistent and logical. I'm borrowing this from Game Feel I read recently which makes an interesting point that an abstract but consistent ruleset is more engaging than realsitic but inconsistent one. For example, Mario 64 onwards is physically believable even tho it's a gross simplification of our physics, as compared to another realistic-looking racing game (which name I forgot) that does not handle car crashes in a realistic manner thus leading to a dissonance that breaks the immersion.
(
http://www.criticalpathproject.com/video/game-systems/)
Quote Posted by Yakoob
4) More?
The UI probably also fits in here somewhere. Like what elements of the UI are diegetic and what non-diegetic, how the map is presented to the player, how equipping items and player inventory works, etc.
Chade on 7/1/2017 at 12:47
Quote Posted by Yakoob
Hmm perhaps there are multiple types (or just dimensions) of immersion?
To yak shave a bit, immersion itself is just one thing: a state of mind for the player. There are aspects of immersion that have nothing to do with the game whatsoever (comfort, ambient noise, the player busting to go to the loo). There are also many different ways that the game can encourage or avoid spoiling the player's immersion.
I think of consistency (plot, systems, etc.) as a way of avoiding spoiling immersion once the player is already immersed. That's very important, but there's also the question of how the player gets immersed in the first place. I think your items (1) and (2) do address this, but good atmosphere and a believable world aren't by any means unique to immersive sims. And yet I think that getting immersed in the first place is where immersive sims shine the most. At least for me.
I feel like the most common reason I fail to get immersed in a game is a feeling that I am just playing by the numbers (that the game is simple enough that I've located some strategy I can apply in every situation without much thought and it will work). FPS and RPG games are quite susceptible to this I find. But in a good immersive sim there is enough going on around me and my tools are context-dependent enough that I can't just slip into the path of least resistance.
Now that I am thinking about this, both dishonoured and the modern DX games fail this a little bit, compared to thief and older DX games.
