Breakfast Topic: Are you okay with broken immersion

It’s one of those phrases we use a lot — “X breaks my immersion.” I’m guilty of trucking that one out quite often, especially when talking about game mechanics in World of Warcraft. I bring it up when talking about questing mechanics, flying or the lack of it in zones/expansions, classes suddenly getting a Charge that never had one before or losing an ability they had for a while. I once complained that the Garrison Mine broke my immersion.

Lately I’m starting to think I use this phrase way too much.

Immersion in an MMORPG like World of Warcraft is essentially the ability to play the game without really thinking or feeling that you’re playing a game, the ability to lose yourself in your character and what she or he is up to. And it’s an awesome thing. But sometimes I think we lose sight of the fun to be had in knowing you’re playing a game and playing accordingly. I mean, this is a game. I’m not actually a Tauren or a Draenei or a Worgen, I’m not really in Azeroth. The opposite faction is not actually made up of my enemies, it’s other players, same as me. That mine in the Garrison lets me get more ore than I otherwise would.

I’m not saying I want to abandon the concept of being invested in my character. But sometimes, I think it’s okay to be aware of the fact that it is just a character, that it’s not me, that I am in fact playing a game.

How about you? Where are you on the slider, totally invested, or completely aware of the game? Or inbetween?