Top 10 Research - Break Immersion Good ???

[David Sattar]

In this article published in the Game Caree Guide Features area:

http://www.gamecareerguide.com/featu..._research_.php

one of the findings seems really counter-intuitive:

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9. Breaking the "immersive spell" can make gameplay more engaging.
Takeaway: Making players remember it's a game can heighten their experience.
Question for game designers: Could you engage players by breaking their immersion at least once?
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That seems absolutely wrong, so I'd be very interested in learning of examples that support the above assertion as it seem so counter to what most designers aspire to.

A counter example is the way that EverQuest handled moving from one zone to the next. The screen used to go black with a splash screen graphic that visually smacked you in the face, making it impossible to ignore the fact that you were played ing a game. That broke the immersion rather effectively. These days EQ handles it differently allowing a visually smoother transition from one zone to the next without the distracting splash screen.

>> David Sattar <<