Poll: Immersion... Just how important is it?

[ApeShapeDeity]

So, I'm an old bastard... I played Pong and Frogger as a kid. They were mind blowing then, now they're interesting for historical reasons. I've seen the evolution of games first hand and make no mistake, it HAS BEEN an evolution!

Progressive improvements have been made and flaws that "just come with the territory" are no longer permissable. So, now that games are a a certain height of techincal ability, how important is the immersive nature of modern games?

I can't abide weak arse programming in games any better than I can poor continuity in my cinema. Why? Because it disrupts the effect of the media. I love a good media experience, be it a book, a movie or a game. For me, even as an old bugger who had to be thrilled and awed when King's Quest came out... I think the industry needs to lift its game relative to it's capabilities...

How 'bout you?

 

[Trolldor]

What type of game am I playing?

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

What type of game am I playing?

Bingo. RPGs and survival horror games are greatly enhanced by it. Other genres not so much. So, a case by case basis for me.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

Completely depends. Some games (RPGs) thrive on it, while others don't need it at all. Also, I find immersion is gaged by opinion rather than fact.

 

[ApeShapeDeity]

Ok, ok, ok...

Be advised. I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF PONG!

What I'm talkimng about is story orientated games... which the majority are these days, even the FPS'. Not really Pokemon, he he he...

 

[Pearwood]

I can forgive a game for not having it, it's good to be drawn into a game and it's certainly a point in its favour but to me the most important thing is it being entertaining. Also some people might be more immersed in one game than others, it's a very subjective thing.

 

[ApeShapeDeity]

I can forgive a game for not having it, it's good to be drawn into a game and it's certainly a point in its favour but to me the most important thing is it being entertaining. Also some people might be more immersed in one game than others, it's a very subjective thing.

This is kind of what I'm treying to get at... When do you enjoy immersion? What makes that experience for you? When and why is it not an issue?

 

[Pearwood]

This is kind of what I'm treying to get at... When do you enjoy immersion? What makes that experience for you? When and why is it not an issue?

Well I can't imagine anything less immersive than an RTS game for example. Survival horror is the only genre I can really think of that thrives on immersion, RPGs too to a lesser extent but I'm more likely to forgive them for good writing or good gameplay.

 

[ApeShapeDeity]

This is kind of what I'm treying to get at... When do you enjoy immersion? What makes that experience for you? When and why is it not an issue?

Well I can't imagine anything less immersive than an RTS game for example. Survival horror is the only genre I can really think of that thrives on immersion, RPGs too to a lesser extent but I'm more likely to forgive them for good writing or good gameplay.

Ahh! BUT! Have you never, for example ever been TOTALLY immersed in a game of chess?

 

[Smooth Operator]

Hugely depends on the game, story heavy games with continuity leaps and holes will quickly be shot down in my book, if the developer didn't bother to put it well together then I wont bother to pay for it.

 

[LeonLethality]

Immersion is reliant on the game itself. For the most part though I care about fun more than immersion, sometimes one can help the other.

 

[Dexiro]

Immersion can be the make or break of games that require long play sessions.

I'm not as easily immersed by games as I used to be so I struggle to play games like RPG's.
Occasionally something like Oblivion will hook me and I'll just lose myself completely, but more often than not it's just short 20 minute play sessions. In such vast games it's hard to keep track of anything if you're only playing them in small amounts.

 

[Biodeamon]

There is a difference between immersion and realism. realism usaully makes games harder. immersion makes people feel as if they're in the game. I like immersion but as long as the game is fun i don't care.

 

[The Gnome Queen]

What type of game am I playing?

Bingo. RPGs and survival horror games are greatly enhanced by it. Other genres not so much. So, a case by case basis for me.

Depends on the game. I want to be drawn into the game world, but the level of immersion depends on what I'm playing. If I'm playing Dr. Mario, not so much, but if I'm playing Final Fantasy, then yes. But even in Dr. Mario, I should feel "drawn" into the game, if that makes sense.

I agree in that it really depends on the game, but for me to have fun, I like to be immersed in the game. Games like D&D, Dragon Age, FallOut and Civilization have been some of my favorites because each of them have a different level of immersion, but they all provoke different levels of emotion.

 

[irani_che]

you dont feel immersion, immersion is looking up and realising you have been playing for hours and forgot about real life

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Not very important to me, in RPGs or otherwise. I am basically immune to getting immersed in a game's world, story, or lore.

I do like games that inspire an intense focus, though. Tense, survival shooters like RE4 and Dead Space inspire that feeling, making me focus on making every shot count, and looting every object in sight. Some RPGs require this focus, too. Like Dragon Age's tactical battle system, and FF13's constant paradigm shifting.

Many hack-n-slash games, like Bayonetta, inspire this feeling, too.

 

[lobster1077]

The only game I've felt really immersed in recently was fallout 3. I'd easily spend several hours playing it at a time, without the slightest recognition of time passing by. It was the amalgamation of an extremely interesting game world and the wealth of exploration available in it that caused such intense immersion.

 

[Pearwood]

Ahh! BUT! Have you never, for example ever been TOTALLY immersed in a game of chess?

I have indeed, immersion in board games or films is different to in video games though. And chess differs from the standard RTS in that the pieces you start with are all you ever get of course.

 

[zehydra]

Poor gameplay breaks immersion, but a good game can be made so much better with good immersion. However, I'm not sure OP made the distinction between story and immersion. They are not the same thing.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

I think immersion is really dependent on the genre. The more story driven the game is, the more important immersion becomes.