Game immersion

[ygetoff]

I can get very immersed with Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, or indeed most of the stealth games I own - just turn out the lights, put the volume up and put a notice on the door informing any potential visitors to kindly "Sod Off". The immersion really kicks in then...

Also, Fallout 3 was incredibly immersive.

I had a Splinter Cell phase where i would sneak around and avoid being spotted.
... Come to think of it, I still do that.

 

[properturnip]

I think the worst I've done was go get some water after playing a lot of braid and subconsciously reaching for the rewind button to get back to my PC.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I almost never have problems with immersion, unless a game just gets incredibly boring (which doesn't happen often).

When I was younger, I got immersed in almost all my games, especially The Wind Waker and Tales of Symphonia.

I figured I must be the only person in the world who loved controlling the wind and sailing everywhere that game...and the only one who nearly pissed himself when one of those Giant Octos showed up for the first time. I swear, I can't look at large groups of seagulls any more without a twinge of fear.

And Symphonia...my oft-cited example is the first Tower of Salvation visit. Let's just say I'd gotten extremely attached to Colette during the first fourth of the game...

Luckily, I was alone in the house at the time, since that was the only time I can ever remember screaming at a game not out of frustration, but sheer hatred.

 

[nolongerhere]

I can get very immersed with Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, or indeed most of the stealth games I own - just turn out the lights, put the volume up and put a notice on the door informing any potential visitors to kindly "Sod Off". The immersion really kicks in then...

Also, Fallout 3 was incredibly immersive.

I get it that I'll hear a noise in the real world and stop in case I'm spotted.
Also, if I tried the sod off thing, everyone would enter my room, just to piss me off.

 

[Pimppeter2]

I got lost in Morrowind.

This

 

[ThisNewGuy]

back when i was seven, and played the original MGS. I basically spent my time running around school under a cardboard box and wandering where all my rations went..XD Luckilly im not that crazy anymore.

We have a winner.

I was really into the original Fable. I got every gear, every chest, almost every property, sex with the land lady, and a lot more. All in 1 night too.

 

[Fingerprint]

I can get very immersed with Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, or indeed most of the stealth games I own - just turn out the lights, put the volume up and put a notice on the door informing any potential visitors to kindly "Sod Off". The immersion really kicks in then...

Also, Fallout 3 was incredibly immersive.

I get it that I'll hear a noise in the real world and stop in case I'm spotted.
Also, if I tried the sod off thing, everyone would enter my room, just to piss me off.

Yeah, I get that too, say the cats knocks into something I'll freeze and just hope in wasn't in game. Well it seems I'm quite lucky then as people actually take heed of the warning and leave me alone, its great...

 

[Fingerprint]

I can get very immersed with Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, or indeed most of the stealth games I own - just turn out the lights, put the volume up and put a notice on the door informing any potential visitors to kindly "Sod Off". The immersion really kicks in then...

Also, Fallout 3 was incredibly immersive.

I had a Splinter Cell phase where i would sneak around and avoid being spotted.
... Come to think of it, I still do that.

I stopped playing for a while but I've come to my senses and have started yet another play through, man I love to be sneaky.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

It's amazingly easy for me to get immersed in the Thief games. Such wonderful soundwork and attention to details in the games. Some of the better Fan Missions are just as good, too. It's an interesting feeling to literally be afraid to progress in a game.

If we really want to go into the Way-Back Machine, though, the game that really drew me in as a kid was Dungeons of Daggorath [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWQFxQjMDo4]. Back when the Atari gave us two stick figures on a "basketball court", this game had a (pseudo) 3D environment, distance-affected sound and real-time gameplay with character progression. Listening to the beating of your heart go faster and faster as you ran from some beast you knew you couldn't beat yet, praying you didn't faint and make yourself an easy target... now that was an intense experience for a 10-year-old.

 

[Infernai]

back when i was seven, and played the original MGS. I basically spent my time running around school under a cardboard box and wandering where all my rations went..XD Luckilly im not that crazy anymore.

Haha I wish I was that crazy, it sounds like fun

As i said above, im not that crazy anymore.But hey, as i said above, i WAS seven back then.But i still love the game like hell. If i was to try something like that at my job...i think more then a few people would be worried.

back when i was seven, and played the original MGS. I basically spent my time running around school under a cardboard box and wandering where all my rations went..XD Luckilly im not that crazy anymore.

We have a winner.

I was really into the original Fable. I got every gear, every chest, almost every property, sex with the land lady, and a lot more. All in 1 night too.

I win something? Awesome.

 

[properturnip]

I don't think it's all on the developer to craft this sense of immersion, because as we can see on here and in other topics.. it's not JUST the game creators who craft the feeling of immersion. If you're interested and I mean really interested in being what the game allows you to be.. you're going to be well immersed in the entire experience. Games like Oblivion\Fallout just become so popular because they're done on such a grand scale.

I judge immersion on stuff like NHl 09 as well.. when my friend comes to me and says that HE won game seven last night. Or playing UFC and telling a friend that I knocked out Chuck in the first round, stuff like that.

I agree with you there. For sure if you're playing a genre you don't like, its gonna take a lot more to get you immersed. I haven't yet found one, but i'd love to find an RTS with real immersion qualities (for me personally), it seems to be overlooked whenever people start talking about immersion.

 

[Goodluf]

Once upon a time I owned a copy of Dark Chronicle. The game had an addicting "minigame", where you could take photos in the game to invent things. Some days I would look outside while playing and think that I could get much experience points for photographing some trees and other things. Once I even went to get my camera to take pictures, but then I realized that this was real life, not game...

Then I borrowed my game to a "friend"...and he never returned it to me. I think he has moved now and lives somewhere else...where I can't reach him. Clever move...