The Psychology of Video Games
Exploring the role of immersion and flow within the rich and detailed digital world of gaming
Video Game immersion is more than just the high-res graphics, the
character development or even the game storyline. It is in fact a
psychological phenomenon that occurs when your brain transports you from
the real world to a different reality. However everyone's experience is
highly subjective in that some players are easily drawn in by the game's
graphical style and visualisation methods. To help maintain excitement and
interest towards a video game, the game mechanics heavily dictate the
overall player's gaming experience. An example of this is known as
flow which is the game's basic structure centered around the
rewards (e.g. an achievement or trophy) and motives that drives the player to continue onwards and setting the pace of the game.
Gameplay, flow and immersion are vital facets of game design that denote the quality of a game.
If the game features good pacing then it will provide a positive association. If
you break the game's flow then players will experience feelings of boredom
and will lose motivation to complete the game. Game design has
to find a good balance between the player's skill level and the difficulty
of the game. If the player finds the game too challenging, this will
discourage the player from continuing as the player's skill level is too
low. Many players often enjoy choices that affect a gaming narrative, arc
or ending.
Many games offer an array of choices that are meaningful or trivial to
keep the steady balance of the game's flow. An example of this gaming
mechanic can be found in games such as Heavy Rain, Life is Strange and
Beyond: Two Souls. These games, which are some of my favourite, have
endless choices that impact the character's narrative, character
development and overall journey which keeps the players engaged and fully
immersed within the gaming world.
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Game Design