For Project 1 I am interested in exploring and explaining the notion of immersion in gaming. Immersion is a key part of the gaming experience and something which is often used as a buzz word. I personally see a direct correlation between gamers becoming immersed in their play and people experiencing the sublime. Both can have the effect of removing people from the here and now and transporting them somewhere else. I believe that the sublime can be used as an experiential bridge to explain immersion to non-gamers.
When thinking of gaming, many people in the mainstream think of gamers hunched over, fingers moving rapidly as they stare at a glowing screen in a dark room. And while this may be true on the surface, there is much more going on. When I see a gamer losing themselves in their play I see the same thing as somebody losing themselves while looking at a Rothko or a Hudson River School work. I think that these are experiences which transcend forms and provide a common dialogue and framework to share experiences.
For this project I would utilize video and photo documentation of both gamers and non-gamers. For gamers, I would record them at play, documenting both their facial expressions and hand movements, while for non-gamers I would utilize a myriad of different pursuits while continuing to document their facial expressions and movements. My goal would be to create a collection of images of both gamers and non-gamers immersed in their pursuits in an attempt to illuminate the similarities of their experiences.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I've been bouncing around a term in my head for a few weeks now. Visceral buy-in : It's the moment that a game grabs you in a fundamental way and completely immerses you in the environment. You're body responds to the stimulus inside the game at a heightened level. The avatar has become an extension of you: you sweat, you cringe, your heart races and you're living the moment.
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