What kills your immersion?

[mumakurau]

One thing in particular really kills immersion for me: When something in the game breaks the fourth wall.
-Example: Hero McSaviour walks into wherever and NPC No.99 appears saying, "Oh, help! Please, help! There are bugs all over me! Mash the 'TRIANGLE' button repeatedly to shake them of me."

If that wasn't clear enough, here's another example:

 

[blankedboy]

When my right speaker breaks again. Now I just use earphones.

 

[Korten12]

Whenever anyone in the game refers to the control scheme. It totally breaks the 4th wall.

"Soldier, to get over that wall, you're going to have to tap the A button".

It's even worse if they actually say it, not just in text.

Also, when my family hoovers. Difficult to get in the zone.

I always find that funny in games.

 

[AyrSuppli]

Whenever anyone in the game refers to the control scheme. It totally breaks the 4th wall.

"Soldier, to get over that wall, you're going to have to tap the A button".

It's even worse if they actually say it, not just in text.

Also, when my family hoovers. Difficult to get in the zone.

There was that meta moment in No More Heroes when the main character (whatever his name is) said something along the lines of, "If you want to do (action), press (button). Whatever that means."

 

[Nitrozzy7]

Usually it's something that doesn't fit with the game.
For example low detailed textures next to high detailed ones. Recent example is MGS4.
Or having an excessive amount of bullet spread when firing a weapon in BF:BC2.
This^ can get really annoying when I'm doing multiple target acquisition in close quarters, especially if you count that you're handling a trained soldier.

 

[Palademon]

My mum talking to herself loudly in the background complaining about something only she gives a crap about, and repeating it.

 

[VanityGirl]

If the game freezes. It kill my immersion. I was playing Infamous and was really into it then whilst jumping off a building, BAM! Freeze.

My immersion was dead.

 

[AceAngel]

Usually the 'uncanny' valley effect of things.

 

[Insanum]

Toilet breaks. Damn Bladder.

Also, When you get stuck on that little bit of nothing. You know that moment when you run to cover, just as that pebble on the ground says "HOLD PLEASE! THE BULLET HAS A 15:00 APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR FACE!" *dead*.

 

[JackRyan64]

People sending me chat/party/game invites. I usually appear offline, but when I forget... god damn I have some annoying friends.

 

[Nickisimo]

Spies. Fucking spies, man. Seriously, do pyros even realize that they're supposed to spy-check?

That and girlfriend aggro.

 

[Pegghead]

My family.

I can barely play the xbox anymore (360 that is) because it's in an open space with speakers meaning I'll get yelled at by my sister to turn it down if it's louder than a mouse's fart pr my mother will come down and spend an hour fidgeting with the bloody nuisance (Family name for a little laundry rack) all the while passing smart-ass remarks about what the game entails.

Hell, even when I reclude to my older model pc for some sessions with the sort of games it can handle there will always be my dog barking or my father laughing at something on his computer as we share the same room (I had to dredge up a pair of headphones when that was organized) or my sister will come bitching to my father about either minor problems with the internet or her social life.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

Dying and having to start something again.

 

[zehydra]

It's like in Oblivion or Fallout 3, when you reach the end of the map and it says, "You cannot go any further, turn around". In Oblivion it's a little worse cause you can see that there's no more map.

 

[CmdrGoob]

Heroes who clearly must spend hours on hair and fashion.

 

[geldonyetich]

You sort of have to build up the immersion a bit before there's enough to kill. So my example would be Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3, which build up this fabulous immersion at first... and then you finish the game. Once the story is over, there's this mental transition of the NPCs going about having actual lives to being little more than puppets, immersion undermined.

 

[-Samurai-]

Extremely long cut-scenes. I don't really feel that I'm part of the game when I'm watching the game.

 

[4484448444844484]

Any time a game shows me a picture of a button.

That annoys the hell out of me.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

"Press X to not die"
Very few things break immersion more than some stupid button appearing in the middle of the screen telling me to do something. And the things that are more immersion breaking include blackouts...
Oh, and things that just don't make sense ingame. For example, I'm playing STALKER Call of Pripyat. The protagonist is supposedly a major in the army, yet he is less adapt with weapons than your average bandit. It's beyond annoying, and just reminds me that I'm playing a game

 

[Zeromaeus]

It's like in Oblivion or Fallout 3, when you reach the end of the map and it says, "You cannot go any further, turn around". In Oblivion it's a little worse cause you can see that there's no more map.

This mostly. They could have done something better than just a "thou shalt not pass" message when you reach the invisible wall.

That and the inability to kill children. Just ruinates mah immersion yah kno?