In the past decades, the video game medium has grown from simple pixels to complex art. One of the most important elements in gaming that continue to grow is immersion. Aside from its development issues, Cyberpunk 2077 signifies just how detailed immersion can become in video games. That being said, first-person action games aren't the only examples of the importance of immersion.
As video games grew in detail, genres began to expand. One of the largest ones has been the role-playing game. In RPGs, players can experience a story with a character that they create from the ground up. Not only can it offer a chance to be apart of the story, but it lets the player live a life they can't live in the real world. This would later evolve into much more immersive gameplay experiences, especially in the action-adventure genre.
As time went on, immersive gaming took on a more hands-on approach with games and gear like the at-home steering wheel and Guitar Hero. Following the Wii motion controls' technological success, immersive gaming took on a whole new level with the implementation of PlayStation Move and Virtual Reality. Now, games set in VR come out fairly frequently and specialize in taking players to another world.
Immersion comes from more than how a person moves in a virtual world or their choices as a character. The concept is also considered when creating environments for various titles and how it can interact with a player. Astro's Playroom on the PlayStation 5 isn't known for making players feel like a robot. However, it is known for how each sound and movement is felt and heard through the speakers and the controller. It places whoever is playing in a space where a gust of wind or skates' scraping on the ice feels like it is only a few feet away.
Modern franchises have always claimed that players will be able to "feel" like whoever they are playing. There is no finer example of this than in Batman: Arkham Knight. Not only does the title promise that players will become the Batman, but they also follow through with it. Each movement and combination feels exactly like something the character would do, and giving every utility to the player only adds to the experience. The immersion level has become so perfected that developers are being forced to improve on it with their next game, Gotham Knights.
Video games offer players a chance to live out their wildest fantasies, and the higher the immersion, the better. Not all games rely on creating the perfect atmosphere to make a memorable experience. However, for many, the ability to escape the mundane to a world of endless possibility is exactly why gaming has survived for as long as it has. Either by being a superhero or being a normal person, the goal is to feel like the player is actually there. Even the games that don't focus on immersion still make sure the player feels like they are being put in a world different from their own.
Cyberpunk 2077 brings two worlds of immersion to the forefront of gaming. On the one hand, it gives a detailed story experience in a world that is completely original from top to bottom. However, it also features a uniquely personal experience with a character creator that directly places the player in the story. Even with all of the negative criticism, one positive has been how well the world and story are crafted, and that has everything to do with immersion. Other modern titles offer different takes on the concept that keep it alive. So long as the desire for escapism remains, immersion will continue to be a key element in gaming.
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