There seem to be two schools of thought when it comes to immersion in gaming. The first is about the experience in the game. The second boils down to "don't remind us this is a video game". You know, the people who hate seeing any kind of HUD (if the HUD makes it hard to see some things, that is a different matter), or any mention of buttons, or anything that even reminds them of the fourth wall.
I personally support the first, and think the second is, frankly, ridiculous. What's so bad about knowing the video game you are playing is in fact a video game?
I can be perfectly aware that I'm playing a video game when I am wrapped up in it. Super Mario 64 can give me vertigo in some of the really high up areas, even though the graphics are not photo realistic. Plenty of RPGs can get me emotionally invovled in the character, even when I'm reading text instead of hearing voices (I've seen threads on boards bitching about Zelda not using voice acting yet). I can still cringe seeing a gory death in RE4, even though I know it's a bunch of polygons, textures, shading, and bump mapping.
But at the risk of seeing opinions that don't agree with me, what do you think of what immersion should be?
A flashy-first game is awesome when it comes out. A great-first game is awesome forever.
Plus, just for the hell of it: Kelly Brook at the 2008 BAFTAs
