Response to Immersion in Video Games

McMahan – Immersion, Engagement, and Presence

Bagge – Other Lives

In the course of any given day, I visit many locations and cross paths with many people. Some of these places and people are familiare to me, while others are not. Each experience becomes a part of my life and composes my history. I never try to qualify my experiences, I live through all of them and they make up my existence. To refute McMahan's usage of the word world, I propose that it is a matter of personal perception. Whether or not you create an imaginary barrier between a given scenario and another is highly subjective. Video games, the internet, comic books, and even my imagination are all part of my "real world". Nevertheless, I agree with McMahan that there can be varying levels of involvement when it comes to re-presentations of spaces and situations using various media. It seems simple to gauge one's participation level when it comes to such situations. Let us consider the phenomenon of a disappearing mediator. A moment where the meaning making encoder becomes transparent to the content recipient. 

Is it a matter of choice, or rather, a careful combination of elements ("attractors, connectors, and retainers" p.76)? On some level it is always possible to chose which information makes its way into our minds. The difference is brought to light, in the case of video games, by the intrest a given game is able to convey to a potential player. McMahan elaborates a strong formula to allow us to discuss these methods of immersion. These games cater to most of our sense. While not tapping into the power of senses like touch, taste or smell, the most immersive of games find internal sense connections within our mind. Is possible that by creating elaborate scenarios such as those found in video games is able to supersede particular senses? It is desirable for the player to become part of events taking place on screen. The player motivations become aligned with the avatar produced as a medium. 

The concept of deep and shallow play styles denotes different levels of immersion in games but also player expertise. I believe that a great majority of games requires players to be highly experienced to participate in deep play, and thus, become greatly immersed. It is an unexploited reward for game players. Much can be learned in immersive states. 

Reading Other Lives brought back a memory from my childhood. As the second comic book I have read, I find my opinion has remained the same over 10 years. I must admit I do not read many books. I prefer to focus on news and current events. When I do read fiction and non-fiction, character development and detailed accounts keep me interested. Other Lives' illustration and storyline failed to stimulate my ability to become immersed and fully appreciate its quality. Like the Spiderman comic I purchased over 10 years ago, I am disappointed. A shallow plot with little development leading to an abrupt end. Nothing I can't find in the day's Garfield (which I always enjoy!).