Comments on: The Illusion of Immersion HUD in particular should be about usability more than "immersion" - Is the right information presented (only) at the right/most useful time? etc. And in general, I agree that there's a often a false goal to minimize "gaminess" - which IMO is kind of absurd on its face. HUD in particular should be about usability more than “immersion” – Is the right information presented (only) at the right/most useful time? etc. And in general, I agree that there’s a often a false goal to minimize “gaminess” – which IMO is kind of absurd on its face.

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By: Eli Ford/2011/06/23/the-illusion-of-immersion/#comment-6264 Eli Ford Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:30:32 +0000 As I've often said, immersion shouldn't be the goal, it should be a side effect of successful game design. People are immersed into problem solving easily. Make a good problem, a reachable solution, give unique tools and immersion will follow. From a theoretical viewpoint though, the problem isn't really in immersion, it is in the designer's way of thinking. If one thinks that immersion should be achieved by obstructing the view with liquids, it is simply illogical. There should be no layers of invisible glass between the player and game world. Just like there are no angel-cameramen that fly around the player whenever he wants that to happen, there's no need to make the player think that there is one (unless the game requires that, of course). The problem, just as always, is with logic. And the more industry will be obsessing on certain pseudo characteristics of a game, the more they will fail to see the simple truth which their predecessors understood a long time ago - <em>the game must simply make sense, in its own context</em>. As I’ve often said, immersion shouldn’t be the goal, it should be a side effect of successful game design. People are immersed into problem solving easily. Make a good problem, a reachable solution, give unique tools and immersion will follow.

From a theoretical viewpoint though, the problem isn’t really in immersion, it is in the designer’s way of thinking. If one thinks that immersion should be achieved by obstructing the view with liquids, it is simply illogical. There should be no layers of invisible glass between the player and game world. Just like there are no angel-cameramen that fly around the player whenever he wants that to happen, there’s no need to make the player think that there is one (unless the game requires that, of course).
The problem, just as always, is with logic. And the more industry will be obsessing on certain pseudo characteristics of a game, the more they will fail to see the simple truth which their predecessors understood a long time ago – the game must simply make sense, in its own context.

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