Immersion - Walking the Line

I'd like to make a few comments on immersion and structural coherence, with direct relation to my film viewing experiences and my brief stint playing the PS3 game "Heavy Rain".

Firstly, from what I took from the most recent lecture and the associated reading, I have come to have a wider understanding of the term immersion. Having a film viewing and making background, I have often taken it for granted the ease and depth to which I am drawn into a well written, well crafted and well executed film and the obvious lack of immersion when viewing a subpar film. With increased understanding of film production I have discovered that when there is any underwhelming factor of a film, be it continuity errors, poor dialogue, poor acting, or any other faux-pas made by the filmmakers I disengage from the film to some extent.

An example I will touch on is the recent Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie 'star-driven' train wreck - The Tourist. The film had potential, the concept was intriguing and so it was that I chose to give it a chance. Not long in I realised (as did my companions) that the film had many a flaw, namely a grossly underwritten script which thought it was more clever than it was, a lack of chemistry between the two stars, and seriously dodgy decision making from behind the camera. The point I raise is this - the film-going experience is one which is driven by the concept of immersion. The audience wants to be immersed in the story of the film. They want to join the characters on their journey, experience their highs and their lows, and feel like they too could be one of the characters of the film. Yet this was not possible for me when I saw The Tourist. Instead I was left having to laugh at the film and all involved for how bad it was, for this was the only way I could justify having paid money to see it.

In the case of video games, the playing field is different for obvious reasons. For a start, games are interactive by nature. No matter how poorly constructed a game is, or how little you feel immersed when you play it, the fact is you are still able to engage with the game on some level. However with advances in technology, both in the game industry and film industry, there is an increasing requirement of games to engage senses other than the eyes and ears. Just as people go to films as a form of escapism, so too is the case for games. Multiplied by a hundred.

Games represent a chance to carry out the life of another character, in which we can manipulate their actions and deal with their challenges in our own way. Some games allow us more freedom to choose what path we head down, but generally we have to follow the narrative defined by the creators. In most cases this is acceptable, and provided structural incoherency does not occur too frequently we are able to engage with the game and become fully immersed. In our generation, there is a certain 'gaming literacy' that has come with playing computer and video games for most of our lives. This gaming literacy allows us to understand and accept the conventions of all future games we play, provided there are not dramatic shifts in the game design and structure. Structural incoherence goes hand in hand with gaming literacy, because it is a direct break from what we have come to know and accept.

When I played Heavy Rain for the first and only time, I was intrigued by the cinematic graphics as well as the storytelling and game play involved. It is a game which embraces cinematic conventions in a big way, with play sequences frequently combined with moments of video to progress the story forward and add to the backstory. It also gives you an insight into what each character you play is thinking, and asks you to choose one of their thoughts in order to progress your own 'imagined' storyline. I found this particular concept excellent, because it made you directly accountable for your character's actions, and thus gave you control of their destiny. Certainly all of the possible storylines were actually imagined by the creators, but this illusion of choice engaged me much more and provided a much deeper immersion. My problem arose when I exploratory nature made me lead my character outside, instead of dealing with my character's son and his issues. While outside I was able to shoot a few hoops, which I could have continued to do for hours - another credit to the gameplay. But when I wished to venture beyond the low fence that bordered my backyard, I encountered the same mesh fence scenario common in many games. My immersion was not fully broken and I was able to continue playing the game happily, but I was acutely aware that I was playing by someone else's rules, not my own.

In conclusion, modern games have come a long way in terms of immersion and engaging those who play, indeed much further than cinema can hope to go. But there continues to be the issue of whether you allow the player complete freedom to walk their own path and tell their own version of the character's story, or to have a defined narrative which they must follow. For me the ideal game lies somewhere in between, and when I can truly become someone else in a game then I will truly be immersed.