Immersion in the Old West, Under Sea and Outer Space
By Superharman 1 Comments
This entry originally appeared here on my personal blog More Harman Than Good.
As I read over last year’s game of the year winners, two games seemed to dominate both lists, Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption. This was unsurprising for the most part, both are games that are quite good. The reasons they are good though go beyond any technical aptitude or even in some regards, consistent story. Reasons generally stated for both games being as good as they are come down to immersion.
A similar thing happened with Bioshock in 2007. While the game was far from the being the most technically apt shooter, it was good enough. What drew the players into the game though was the immersion into the city of Rapture. Almost second to the world was the story which was fairly standard fare for a first person shooter, there were though key sub-textual themes that I’m sure any gamer with an arts degree (guilty) found engaging.
The examination of themes in Red Dead Redemption (moving on, religion, racism etc.) isn’t quite as strong as Bioshock, but it is good to know that video game writers are layering these topics into their narrative. The story is also a little schizophrenic, particularly when the character journeys to Mexico. When it is strong, it is amazing, some of the characters you meet in the game are particularly compelling. However, when it is weak, I found myself pushing through to get to the better bits. Unfortunately, because this is a game, getting to those bits was filled with frustration in a lot of cases because the game has issues on a technical level. I went back to the game recently and had trouble changing weapons, something I always found problematic in the game. So how does this game that has these problems win game of the year awards? Because while there are technical and story problems they aren’t enough to overshadow the fact that Rockstar created a world so immersive, open and complex that the player can’t help but lose themselves in it. Ever wanted to be an old west gunslinger? Well here is your chance.
Mass Effect 2 does a similar thing, it puts you in the role of a space captain able to take your ship to different planets. The game has a vast science fiction environment for you to explore and new people to meet. Like Red Dead, Mass Effect 2 has story structure problems which comes down to both being such long games. Similarly, while the game is technically competent, it isn’t perfect and not the best example of a third person shooter. Both games though allow strong diversion from the main narrative, and it is perhaps it is these diversions that immerse the player into the role of the character. Having the freedom to do what you want as a player goes beyond just going on a critical path and shooting everyone you see. Players it seems like to become the character and giving them open world environments where not everything they do involves combat helps to draw them in
I’ll be writing a little bit more about immersion and game environments over the coming weeks. To me, it is the topic that makes games the key unique experience that they are. It is also what I think is key to driving games forward as a story telling medium and getting strong stories in the form.