Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Flow is the foundation for most good game experiences. It works at
all intensity levels and emotional valences. Heart-pumping action games,
contemplative puzzlers, humorous social interaction games—all can
create flow because each occupies the player's mind without a break, and
without overfilling it.
And in any case, if flow is broken, the other parts of the experience fall
apart. Nearly all games have to maintain flow to work, and many problems
with bad games come down to nothing more than breaks in flow.
immeRsion
One of the most powerful game experiences is
immersion
.
IMMERSION is when the mental division between the player's real self
and his in-game avatar softens, so events happening to the avatar
become meaningful as though they were happening to the player
himself.
Everybody agrees that immersion is valuable, but there is little agree-
ment on where it comes from. Everything from fictional believability, to
graphical fidelity, to relatable or silent protagonists and even lowering the
lights in the room while playing have been called out as contributors. Yet,
