What Makes a Great Game: Immersion

In this series I hope to share with you the aspects that make a great game. Each article will be about a trait that I find highly important in game design and game playing.

Immersion

Like many other forms of entertainment, games can be considered an art form (this is debatable but we will work with that assumption for now). They can tell a story. Unlike most other forms of entertainment, the story can largely be dependent on the player/viewer. While movies and TV shows  will occasionally leave events open to interpretation,  games are actually made and thrive on the interaction with the player. The point of view is not from the character in the show, and not from the director or writer; but instead the point of view is from the player herself. Chances are if you played a game, and it felt like you were just going through the motions of what the game creator made... it wasn't a good game. What makes a game art is immersion; how easy is it to forget that you are playing a game and instead are acting the role in the game itself?

To my fellow book readers out there, it should come as no surprise that immersion is a trait that I value so highly. One does not read through A Song of Ice and Fire  series without enjoying the feeling of being part of a rich and complex world. You slowly forget that you are laying in bed and reading a book series. Instead you are living vicariously through your favorite characters: celebrating their triumphs, feeling the pain of their defeat, and hoping that they make it until the end. 

Even happy endings feel a little
depressing, because it is over.

No other words in the English language have metaphorically ripped the heart out from a reader. When we read those words, the illusion is over. The immersion is gone and we are back in our own little lives. It is a "dropping" feeling. Time catches up to you and you realize what you thought was maybe an hour was really six. Immersion always seems strongest while reading. Maybe it is how much time we invest in them, or how personal of an experience it is; but immersion always seems strongest while reading.

Immersion, however, is not unique to reading; which brings us back to why immersion is great for games. If we can get to the point that we partially forget that we are playing a game, and instead feel like we are a pirate sailing the 7 seas for treasure, building a rail-road, or even running an electric company ; the game has succeeded on a very fundamental level.

Losing yourself in the game is the bread and butter of roleplaying games, which the players take the role of a particular hero (often a term used very loosely) in a different world. Just like reading, the player can really connect to the world and feel invested in it. 

Immersion has to come naturally out of a game: it isn't something you can really force. There are several things that can take a player "out" of feeling immersed. Most of these are things good games try to do anyways.

1. Don't have overly complicated rules: Nothing takes people out of a game more than having to stop and double check the rule book again, or worse: online for an FAQ. Having robust rules that allow for different strategies is good, but remember there is such thing as "too much game."
2. Have a clear role for the players: The game should be clear on what role it has the players in and keep with it. If the game has them being a hero going against the forces of darkness, it is a little disjointed having them do things as the forces of darkness. 
3. Make the role for the players entertaining: Alright so very few of us have probably thought that we wanted to be the president of an electrical company when we grow up, but if that is going to be the focus of your game, make sure that the game is also fun. If you make a game that makes people really feel like they are on a crowed train, waiting for the ride to be over, then I suppose you technically succeed in making it immersive... just not sure if you succeeded in making a game.

Artwork, theme, mechanics all have to come together for a game to be truly immersive. It can not be forced. If it is done correctly, the players probably won't even be able to say why they like the game, they will just say that they do. It is one of the most subtle and overlooked attributes on what makes a great game.