<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This paper inspects the concept of immersion in video games as a gradient category resulting from the degrees of interactivity and immediacy. By factoring in the objective technological affordances of media, as well as the subjective impression that these affordances help create, and the culturally constructed nature of gameplay experience, I argue that high degrees of interactivity and immediacy are not achieved solely by giving the player more freedom of action, and, respectively, by inflecting the content of the narrative as little as possible with the medium’s specific narrative affordances. Quite on the contrary, it is necessary that freedom be limited and content be manipulated for the video game to have high degrees of narrativity and playability, thus ensuring player engagement. In the absence of player engagement, the mediated nature of gaming experience becomes obvious and the level of immersion decreases. In the last section, I explore the relationship between video games and film and point out the consequences the remediation of film has regarding the level of immediacy.<xref ref-type="fn" rid="j_ausfm-2016-0011_fn_001_w2aab2b8c15b1b7b1ab1aaAa"><sup>1</sup></xref></p></abstract>

This paper inspects the concept of immersion in video games as a gradient category resulting from the degrees of interactivity and immediacy. By factoring in the objective technological affordances of media, as well as the subjective impression that these affordances help create, and the culturally constructed nature of gameplay experience, I argue that high degrees of interactivity and immediacy are not achieved solely by giving the player more freedom of action, and, respectively, by inflecting the content of the narrative as little as possible with the medium’s specific narrative affordances. Quite on the contrary, it is necessary that freedom be limited and content be manipulated for the video game to have high degrees of narrativity and playability, thus ensuring player engagement. In the absence of player engagement, the mediated nature of gaming experience becomes obvious and the level of immersion decreases. In the last section, I explore the relationship between video games and film and point out the consequences the remediation of film has regarding the level of immediacy.1

Immersion at the Intersection of Technology, Subjectivity and Culture: An Analysis of <italic>Silent Hill 2</italic>

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Film and Media Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Immersion at the Intersection of Technology, Subjectivity and Culture: An Analysis of 

This paper inspects the concept of immersion in video games as a gradient category resulting from the degrees of interactivity and immediacy. By factoring in...

Immersion at the Intersection of Technology, Subjectivity and Culture: An Analysis of Silent Hill 2

Published Online: Feb 18, 2017

Page range: 7 - 19

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ausfm-2016-0011

Keywords
immersion, immediacy, interactivity, remediation, first person shooters, third person shooters

© 2016 Andrei Nae, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Immersion at the Intersection of Technology, Subjectivity and Culture: An Analysis of Silent Hill 2

Published Online: Feb 18, 2017

Page range: 7 - 19

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ausfm-2016-0011

Keywordsimmersion, immediacy, interactivity, remediation, first person shooters, third person shooters

© 2016 Andrei Nae, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
immersion, immediacy, interactivity, remediation, first person shooters, third person shooters