Immersion?

[AlexofBarbaria]

Just curious how the community here feels about the concept of immersion in RPGing.

 

[Maxperson]

Immersion is my goal whenever I play.

 

[overgeeked]

I ask them what them mean by it because everyone seems to have their own definitions of practically every word these days.

#

I saw a great video recently about immersion. I thought it was worth sharing.

 

[Joerg Baumgartner]

I think that immersion is what makes the difference between in character roleplaying games (whichever platform) and tactical games (including video games where you lead an entire party of characters through the dungeon).

 

[Deset Gled]

I think it's important. But I also think some people on the internet treat it as being more important than it actually is.

IMNSHO, it's not something that is easy/proper to strive for directly. Rather, it's something that happens naturally when other things are working together well. Once you get the other problems worked out, it's part of the net positive results. The whole that's bigger than the sum of the parts. Or something along those lines.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I value it as a goal, and have experienced it in play. But I don’t think it’s necessary.

 

[Joerg Baumgartner]

As the narrator/GM, immersion needs to be defined differently. As player, suspension of disbelieve can be a hurdle to player buy-in. A player can still participate as co-narrator rather than as immersed participant, and the experience for immersed players may be upheld.

 

[TheSword]

I ask them what them mean by it because everyone seems to have their own definitions of practically every word these days.

#

I saw a great video recently about immersion. I thought it was worth sharing.

Very good video. Makes it clear that immersion isn’t just about playing music or frowning on PCs joking around.

 

[Retros_x]

Immersion is a sensory feeling for me. To be immersed in a movie I sit in the cinema, not talking with anybody, just be in the story. An immersive game is for me a video game with detailed graphics and good music and sound. Immersion in TTRPG is unnecessary and not the reason I play RPGs. I have rarely immersive moments in RPGs, most often when the DM "does a scene". Holds a prepared monologue or travel montage, underlined with the perfect score. That is fine for one scene, but for a full game it would be not an RPG, but an immersive theatre play. But the moment my buddy Alex tries to "act" being a horny bard my immersion goes immediately away. Which is fine, because TTRPGs are not an immersive medium. We sit together at a table and interact with each other. Thats not an immersive sensory moment for me.

 

[Joerg Baumgartner]

Immersion is a sensory feeling for me. To be immersed in a movie I sit in the cinema, not talking with anybody, just be in the story. An immersive game is for me a video game with detailed graphics and good music and sound. Immersion in TTRPG is unnecessary and not the reason I play RPGs. I have rarely immersive moments in RPGs, most often when the DM "does a scene". Holds a prepared monologue or travel montage, underlined with the perfect score. That is fine for one scene, but for a full game it would be not an RPG, but an immersive theatre play. But the moment my buddy Alex tries to "act" being a horny bard my immersion goes immediately away. Which is fine, because TTRPGs are not an immersive medium. We sit together at a table and interact with each other. Thats not an immersive sensory moment for me.

There are players who can immerse in their Theatre of the Mind space. I guess that this is a "session zero" or party contract topic whenever you start a new game with a new cast of players.