In a vast media landscape, video games have so often fallen victim to being labelled as a lesser art form. But gaming holds a key edge that even elevates its status as nearing equity with film and television.  

Immersion remains to be one of gaming’s most definitive qualities when it comes to storytelling and consumer experience. Gamers are often told they are passive consumers — too lazy to engage in more conventional modes of storytelling. And yet, gaming’s immersive quality quite decisively renders this accusation obsolete as imagination is required on both sides. 

Immersion itself is a complex art form. It is the responsibility of game designers to take into consideration several key factors including storytelling, world-building, visual design, graphics, sound design, and character design. While other forms of media pay great attention to realism and emotional attachment, games differ through direct involvement by the player. 

Gaming demands a response from us that film and television don’t require. It allows players to put themselves in experiences they may not have had otherwise from within the active creation of the plot. 

While many are familiar with The Last of Us as a TV show, they might not realise it was based on the original games of the same name — ones with rich storytelling and world-building. It is no surprise that its strong immersion is something worth exploring. 

A game’s immersive quality is rooted in how well it can maintain our suspension of belief. On a more technical scale, visual design is a huge factor – especially in open-world story games. 2022’s Horizon: Forbidden West is a shining example of this. Not only does the game come with the premise of hugely complex lore and world-building, it also boasts stunning visuals. With advancements in technology allowing for such elevated realism encoded into games, Horizon: Forbidden West takes the graphic capabilities of the PlayStation 5 and creates a breathtakingly beautiful setting. Even in a fantasy world, the level of detail makes it easy to become immersed just by exploring. 

When it comes to games with narrative at their centre, one of the most important components in connecting the player emotionally to the characters. The Last of Us is a prime example. Players follow the arcs of protagonists Ellie and Joel as they form a heartfelt bond, as well as experiencing the heartbreak over multiple other characters along the way. Both the first and second games take on complex contemplations of morality usually found in cinema. Gaming forces us to play in the shoes of not just the characters we have come to support, but also from the characters we hate. Namely, if you have played The Last of Us: Part 2, I am alluding to Abby and Ellie. 

Whilst not the most admirable aspect of the gaming fandom, the heated critical reception to these characters in the game and the announcement of casting, showcase just how attached players are to the world and characters. Bella Ramsey (playing Ellie) and Kaitlyn Dever (playing Abby) have been the target of backlash from fans of the games, reiterating the longstanding toxicity within the gaming community.  Echoes of 2014’s GamerGate — a misogynistic online harassment campaign — still ring out today, highlighting a negative side to immersion. One that breaks free from the virtual world. 

But there’s more to immersion in gaming’s potential to spark two-way engagement than just negativity on social media. “God games” have the potential to blend the borders between the gaming world and ours through astute manipulation of gaming mechanics. Games like The Sims and Minecraft have been applauded for their ability to provide escapism by giving the player a blank canvas to create their perfect utopia. With the gaming mechanics constantly rewarding simple actions and endless customisation options, the idyllic outcomes mirror how our world works in a sense that negates hardship –a quality one would find easy to become immersed in.  

Cues that aid immersion are sprinkled without us knowing. Everything from inventive mechanics to clever sound design can evoke a variety of effects from tension to satisfaction in the player. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Fallout 4 are great examples of this, their gameplay emphasising minute everyday behaviour that would be standard for their settings. 

So, when we apply gaming mechanics to their intended usage in gaming, we can see that suspension of belief is the point. Immersion, however, is a double edge sword. Its potential to breed toxicity is just one of its drawbacks. 

Most of you will undoubtedly use some form of social media. We take it as a given foundation to the fabric of modern everyday life. But why do we continue to go back to it, sometimes at the detriment of mental health?  

Social media is the ultimate immersive game. New technology has not only allowed for the development of immersive video gaming but also the ability for gaming mechanics to seamlessly weave itself into our everyday life. All games aim to develop a level of verisimilitude to become more immersive and social media has perfected this by shaping itself around our real world. We can lose hours to a game without having any real sense of it, but this occurs on a larger scale with social media as I am sure I am not the only one that has fallen victim to Tik Tok doom scrolling. 

So, is gaming’s immersive quality an art or something of a more sinister business strategy? 

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