Question What is the most immersive game you’ve ever played?

[neogunhero]

What is the most immersive game you’ve ever played, and why did it pull you into its world so effectively?

I love being immersed in my favorite video games, and it doesn’t have to include VR headsets. Feeling like you are truly in the world of the game you are playing is such a great feeling that sometimes it can ruin my enjoyment of a game if I “can’t get into it” like that.

For me, the most immersive games are first person RPG’s. TES Oblivion and Fallout 4 are my top picks for most immersive games. Oblivion has always given me a sense of truly being within that world while I explore it. It may not be the prettiest or have the best voice acting, but it just does the trick for me. Throw in a ton of mods to improve immersion and I can feel like I’ve really spent some time in Cyrodiil.

 

[ipman]

I think it has to be RD2 for me. I feel like I am Arthur riding my favourite horse, talking to it, feeding it, brushing it, etc. Choosing the right clothes for the weather. Looking after my guns.

I go out on long rides immersed in the beautiful landscape with it's changeable weather, encounter outlaws and wild animals. Then weary I return; bath, shave, haircut, whisky, meal and a game of poker. Then off to bed and another day starts.

I feel like I am a cowboy in America at the beginning of the last century.

 

[Zloth]

I keep hearing the term, but I don't really get it. Even with 3D Vision or a VR headset, there's no wind on my face, there's no feeling of the path beneath my feet, and there's no smells (something of a blessing given how many sewers I frequent in games). I don't feel like a cowboy or a fighter pilot or a murd.... <ahem> adventurer.

Some games take more focus than others, is that what you're going for?

 

[Brian Boru]

Immersion… start playing around 8pm for a couple of hours, and then wonder what the milkman is doing out so late. That would have to be "Just one more turn", wouldn't it? It's my empire, beset by dangers, full of opportunities, and I must see if that strategic direction I chose 30 turns ago is going to finally pay off—while I seek to neutralize this tactical weakness that just appeared.

Honorable mentions for Half Life 2 and Crysis 1. HL2 had fabulous atmosphere, C1 the most beautiful world, both so inviting to lose oneself in.

 

[neogunhero]

I go out on long rides immersed in the beautiful landscape with its changeable weather, encounter outlaws and wild animals. Then weary I return; bath, shave, haircut, whisky, meal and a game of poker. Then off to bed and another day starts.

What a wonderful game to lose yourself in… the first time I played it on Xbox One I played for the story. Then when it came out on PC I bought it as soon as I could because I knew I could play it at a much higher FPS than 30 with way better graphics. I took my sweet time soaking in the entire world, playing almost exclusively in first person. Truly experiencing life through Arthur’s eyes. I would put RDR2 as my second most immersive game.

I keep hearing the term, but I don't really get it.

I suppose it is partly the fantasy of what you are playing plus your intentions when playing these games. It’s not a conscious decision I make but I feel like when I play games I want to get lost in a world I could not experience in real life. So some games make the fantasy of feeling like you are in the world of this video game stronger than others, and that is what I mean when I say immersive.

 

[Brian Boru]

Maybe another view on it is games where you can roleplay. Solitaire or Royal Envoy or Space Invaders—no, they're too small and limited, there's no way to get 'involved' in those, they have a different attraction.

But bigger games with decent scope and player agency—I mostly roleplay those, and that's what pulls me in. It helps if there's also a beautiful and populated world to explore, big fan of that—but the big draw is gameplay which allows me to choose my approach if I was there, and of course to set my own goals beyond the required objectives.

So I'm area commander in a RTS mission. Can I win it without losing a unit? Or losing less than X units? Can I win it with only infantry? Or only with airpower?

I'm currently dipping into Far Cry 6 on hard, and there may be an interesting challenge—can I capture all the enemy bases undetected with no alarms? Sadly there's no 'Base Master'—or whatever it was called in previous FCs—which allows you to replay a base capture, so the ones I missed will have to wait for a later playthru. But it sure pulls me in while attempting it.

I mentioned 4X in earlier post, which also supports the "What would I do if I was really there?" approach, and keeps the immersion going as things play out.

 

[Pifanjr]

According to the definition of immersion, it's something like "deep mental involvement" or "being deeply engaged". As @Brian Boru points out, that's when you have that "one more turn" feeling, but I think there's another type of feeling involved that doesn't have to mean you want to keep playing. It's when the world of the game starts feeling somewhat real, when the things that are happening in the game start having an emotional impact on you.

This happens with other kinds of media as well of course and it's very subjective. Movies or books that make one person cry will have no effect on another person. Games add an extra layer of interaction (or roleplaying, as Brian Boru said) to this, which can enhance the emotional impact.

Bioshock's little sisters come to mind as a good example. Some players will only look at the numbers of what they get out of it without being emotionally affected by what happens because of their choice, while others will be unable to do so.

For me personally, I think Mass Effect was one of the most immersive games I've played. I did a complete Paragon run of all three games, except for one scene in which a Renegade trigger showed up and I decided to take it because I felt it was the right action, because I got emotionally invested in what was happening in the story and didn't just care about the mechanical aspects of the game.

Also, for me personally, the Elder Scrolls games are more "one more turn" immersive than emotionally immersive. I don't really care that much about what happens to the NPCs, I just want to explore the next dungeon or see the next side-quest. Elder Scrolls NPCs feel far too flat to get emotionally invested in. Fallout does a much better job in that regard

 

[Colif]

Play game for so many hours that you try to point and click a mouse, while note holding one, in reality, after being called out of room... does that count? Staying awake all night playing games could be immersion or just habit.

otherwise it would have to be VR and something that replaces your ability to look away

being sucked into games is normal.

 

[ZedClampet]

Honestly, I make up stories in my head while I play and roleplay in just about every game. Every game I play a lot I am completely immersed in. That includes games that have no story at all, like Car Mechanic Simulator, Farming Simulator and House Flipper.

For instance, I found a map in Farming Simulator 22 that was a PvP arena, which in Farming Simulator just means that there are a number of equal fields and the area is completely contained, and I had a whole story in my head about being hired to help a budding utopian community to become completely self sufficient, create products for sale and to create excess green energy. I ended up playing that one map for almost 200 hours.

 

[mainer]

For me the most immersive games I've played are RPGs, though I would be hard pressed to state one as the most immersive.

There's the open world RPGs like Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas & Fallout 4 from Bethesda. Gothic 3 and Elex 1 & 2 from Piranha Bytes. They have the vast open worlds, a sense of the unknown, and unlimited exploration and character building.

There's the more story-based RPGs, like the Mass Effects, Dragon Ages, and Baldur's Gates games where the story and characters provide immersion.

There have also been some games, technically in other genres, that have been extremely immersive. Half-life 2 (plus episodes 1 & 2), Deus Ex, and the System Shock games; all provided immersion and the suspension of belief of being in an alternate reality.

 

[Frindis]

TES Oblivion and Fallout 4 are my top picks for most immersive games. Oblivion has always given me a sense of truly being within that world while I explore it. It may not be the prettiest or have the best voice acting, but it just does the trick for me. Throw in a ton of mods to improve immersion and I can feel like I’ve really spent some time in Cyrodiil.

The first time I played the game I didn't quite have the hardware for running it, but I remember being in awe after exiting the sewers and looking at just how beautiful the open areas were. Finished it some years later and the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quests were some of my most memorable experiences with the game.

For me, Morrowind is the nr.1 immersive game. It got a lot of interesting lore, different cultures, tons of secrets, and fun random encounters. A magic and skill system that is a lot of fun to use, not to mention the quest you do. The whole world is just one handcrafted gem to explore and one I will forever cherish. It is also refreshing to play a game that almost gives you no guidance.

My second one is Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Also a great game to explore with tons of really good written dialogue. A good mix of funny and more serious quests and a slice of nice secrets you can unveil while progressing. The atmosphere is something special, kind of hard to explain really, but it just feels like a living breathing world with people (and other beings) actually reacting to what you do and say.

Another game I really like is Metro: Exodus. That world is not only visually stunning, but it really feels like a dangerous world to explore with death being around each corner. Playing it on the hardest difficulty is bloody fantastic!

 

[ipman]

I keep hearing the term, but I don't really get it. Even with 3D Vision or a VR headset, there's no wind on my face, there's no feeling of the path beneath my feet, and there's no smells (something of a blessing given how many sewers I frequent in games). I don't feel like a cowboy or a fighter pilot or a murd.... <ahem> adventurer.

Some games take more focus than others, is that what you're going for?

You have to at least enter into the spirit. 3D vision, running on a tread mill while a fan blows over a bucket of sewer fluids into your face.

Maybe some of us are just good at projecting into characters. I get real physical and mental reactions to in game situations that my character faces.

 

[ipman]

This happens with other kinds of media as well of course and it's very subjective. Movies or books that make one person cry will have no effect on another person. Games add an extra layer of interaction (or roleplaying, as Brian Boru said) to this, which can enhance the emotional impact.

I find it rare that I feel totally immersed in a book or a film(Crime and Punishment, Steppenwolf), but that's because I feel like an observer to those worlds. But I agree gaming is much more interactive and I do feel some empathy with the character and invested in their story to a greater degree.

 

[Zloth]

Maybe some of us are just good at projecting into characters. I get real physical and mental reactions to in game situations that my character faces.

That requires some thought for me. The characters aren't me and have different goals/drives/experiences, so guessing how they would react to some event often isn't easy. Of course, if I'm just playing a character as myself (or something close), that makes it really easy.

Sometimes games give bad dissonance on that front. The first Tomb Raider reboot, for example: Lara in the game is brutal and nearly fearless (thank you save game system). The Lara in the cutscenes, however, would get uncomfortable killing a chicken for dinner, never mind gunning down squads of people. Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn was a girl raised out in the wild by one man yet is somehow the most socially well-adjusted person in the whole game!?

So, like that, only in the other direction - and maybe including how the world works, not just characters?

 

[ipman]

That requires some thought for me. The characters aren't me and have different goals/drives/experiences, so guessing how they would react to some event often isn't easy. Of course, if I'm just playing a character as myself (or something close), that makes it really easy.

Sometimes games give bad dissonance on that front. The first Tomb Raider reboot, for example: Lara in the game is brutal and nearly fearless (thank you save game system). The Lara in the cutscenes, however, would get uncomfortable killing a chicken for dinner, never mind gunning down squads of people. Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn was a girl raised out in the wild by one man yet is somehow the most socially well-adjusted person in the whole game!?

So, like that, only in the other direction - and maybe including how the world works, not just characters?

Yes it probably has something to do with personal psychology, and ability to empathise.

I was thinking about that. Is it easier to empathise with a male character(who may have been designed to appeal to players; maybe an outsider like Aiden(WD1), Arthur(RD2), Deacon(DG),etc.
Or a female character, also an outsider like Aloy.

I don't know enough about Tomb Raider, I have played one of the later ones and she was taking out enemies during her quests.

I think Rost is a certain type of person who encompasses many aspects; the Hero, he went after the tribe who had killed his wife and kidnapped his daughter and had also killed tribal members, he crossed the border knowing the consequences and took revenge, then he was was exiled.

I seem to remember he chose to raise Aloy because he had lost his own daughter and he had the intelligence and hunting skills that she needed to learn to survive and carry out her destiny.

She of course is no ordinary young woman, but the clone of Elisabet Sobeck, created by the artificial intelligence system GAIA for the purpose of stopping HADES(thanks Wiki/Fandom).

But that's what makes these games so immersive; the characters and their personal histories, the hero quests, the whole immersive landscape and environments which often have incredible details.

It's one thing reading about mythical heroes, but it's another level to get to play out their quests and make decisions as to their actions.

 

[Slasken]

Yes it probably has something to do with personal psychology, and ability to empathise.

She also had watched videos of other people since a young age.

 

[Tasp]

Probably The Long Dark. When you spend the night in a cave seeing the winternight landscape outside, and you wake up in freezing cold and outside there is a blizzard blocking all vision and you are slowly running out of firewood and then you hear a howling in the distance.

 

[neogunhero]

Probably The Long Dark. When you spend the night in a cave seeing the winternight landscape outside, and you wake up in freezing cold and outside there is a blizzard blocking all vision and you are slowly running out of firewood and then you hear a howling in the distance.

I really need to give that game another shot. Everything about it seems like something I would love but for some reason it didn’t really click with me. To be fair I didn’t give it that strong of a try so it’s on me, I need to try again.