chi_hawks's Blog
I'm sure we all have that one game we have played that made us completely forget about the "real" world. The game where you put hundreds of hours into it and truly felt like a part of the action. For me, the three main games that did this were MGS3, GTA3 and NFL2k5. All three of those are the pinnacle of gaming experiences in my opinion. I still can hear the "Snake?Snaake?Snaaaaaaaake!!!???" call from Otacon when Snake dies. I still remember winning 4 more superbowl rings with Favre and Packers before he retired in NFL2k5. And of course, who can forget the three hour rampages with a tank in GTA3!? These games provide the type of experiences that live with you forever.
This got me to wondering - what makes a game "great", and further, how do the components of a game (graphics, story, challenge, music, mood, etc) make up and factor into our ability as humans to forget that its merely a game while playing it? It seems that the older I get the harder it is (with a family of my own now) to shut out reality and fully enjoy a game. Is it because I've gotten older or is it because the games have gotten worse? What leads me to truly enjoy a game and be immersed?
I have been looking into research that has been done on immersion and how, if at all, it can be measured from a video game perspective. One particular study caught my eye, by David Weibel and Batholomaus Wissmath at the University of Bern in Switzerland*. After some thorough testing, they found two main components of true 'immersion':
1) Presence -"sensation of being in the gaming environment"
2) Flow - "sensation of being involved in the gaming action itself"
*Link --> http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijcgt/2011/282345/
The better a game can convince the player that:
1) they are truly in the evnironment of the game (football field, basketball court, etc) and that
2) they are controlling the action and involved in what happens (controls, play-calls, real-time physics)
...the better the immersion level will be. Further, this will drive a better gaming experience for the user.
Moving forward with this data, I would imagine that there are limits to this. We all have jobs, families, obligations and other life elements that will be there no matter what happens in our video game land. You can win 8 superbowls in Madden but you still need to mow the yard on Tuesday afternoon. You can put up a triple double with Rondo in 2k12 but you still gotta get your butt to work by 8am the next day.
This is the challenge that video game developers have moving forward. When we play video games and see glitches, subpar graphics, poor gameplay and aged animations, we are reminded over and over again that "this isnt real", and like it or not, this takes away from the experience. Perfectly blending the presence (visuals, sounds, environment) and flow (gameplay elements) are the true ingredients to a successfull game.
Here is to hopefully not seeing any super LB's or psychic DB's in NCAA 13. Here is to a bug free release for Madden 13. Here is to improved sliding animations and better passing angles for NBA2k13. All 3 of these games can do better in these areas and hopefully they do this summer and fall.
# 2
CarryTheWeight @ Jun 3
I like your analysis here, but I think the "environment" not only applies to what happens inside the stadium, but outside. That's why games like Out of the Park Baseball and Eastside Hockey Manager are so immersive, it's almost as if you're participating in a living, breathing universe.
The closest I ever came to that experience in a conventional sports title was in ESPN NFL 2K5 and College Hoops 2K8. It was an experience, overall, that made your games the center of the league. In 2K5, your game's biggest play could make it to SporsCenter, your free agent signings would be announced and you could find out more about the next big draftees coming into the league. Additionally, College Hoops 2K8's Legacy mode truly seemed like an authentic college environment from the moment you stepped on the court until Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament. Every game was a challenge and had something riding on it.
This type of relationship between gamer and game --- that your actions could be significant within the framework of a game, season or career --- is what makes sports titles immersive. Text based games like the aforementioned OOTP and Football Manager already do this, but games like NBA 2K12 are combining their authenticity on court with great attention to detail off of it.
Therefore, to be an immersive title, a game must not only be a game, but an experience in its own right. The Mass Effect games came the closest outside of sports to replicate that in my own gaming experience, as your actions could determine (bad ending or not) the fate of the universe. Honestly, sports titles need more of that feeling.
Great read, it's something I could ramble on about myself for ages (as this post showed).
The closest I ever came to that experience in a conventional sports title was in ESPN NFL 2K5 and College Hoops 2K8. It was an experience, overall, that made your games the center of the league. In 2K5, your game's biggest play could make it to SporsCenter, your free agent signings would be announced and you could find out more about the next big draftees coming into the league. Additionally, College Hoops 2K8's Legacy mode truly seemed like an authentic college environment from the moment you stepped on the court until Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament. Every game was a challenge and had something riding on it.
This type of relationship between gamer and game --- that your actions could be significant within the framework of a game, season or career --- is what makes sports titles immersive. Text based games like the aforementioned OOTP and Football Manager already do this, but games like NBA 2K12 are combining their authenticity on court with great attention to detail off of it.
Therefore, to be an immersive title, a game must not only be a game, but an experience in its own right. The Mass Effect games came the closest outside of sports to replicate that in my own gaming experience, as your actions could determine (bad ending or not) the fate of the universe. Honestly, sports titles need more of that feeling.
Great read, it's something I could ramble on about myself for ages (as this post showed).
# 3
chi_hawks @ Jun 3
Your absolutely right about the presence going outside the stadium. I like your comments on your actions being able to truly impact the "universe" within the game. I do remember hoping to be able to get my big play of the week on the sportscenter weekly recap show. Great point you brought up here.
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I have been gaming for over 30 years and tye issue I have with this generation of games are the gamers themselves. No game will ever be perfect except in our own minds. Too many people spend time finding flaws with games instead of enjoying them for what they are.
2K5 is better remembered for its presentation and extras (The Crib) than for its stellar gameplay. Dont get me wrong, 2K5 is a classic but it was littered with money plays.
For me, what makes a great sports game is the fun factor. Glitches are in every game. As long as they dont fracture the experience I am good with them.
Gamers expectations have become unrealistic. The more realistic a game looks the more it is ripened for criticism. Virtual athletes will never respond like real people because they arent.