What do you think, adds the most to your immersion in a video game? Is it the memorable story, gorgeous visuals in a world full of detail, choices you have to make which alter your playthrough, or perhaps something else?

Good characters do it for me. If they each have unique personalities and motivations in life, it adds another layer of depth to them.

For me it is a combo of some of them. Soundtrack, Story, Character Development (depending on game) etc.

It's a mix between story and visuals. Soundtrack comes in a close third because I love well-written video game music. 

Of course, I'm talking about newer games. I play retro for familiarity more than anything else.

For me it has to be the audio that gets me immersed.Hearing something large like an explosion,a peaceful song while in a forest,or even something as simple as chirping birds,It just gets me the most immersed since I'm focused on whats happening in the game and not background noise.

For me immersion happens when the atmosphere is suspense like in Resident Evil or DayZ/Left 4 Dead 2. Also when action is intense like in Metal Gear Rising: Revengence.

Most of these are at least somewhat important, but I find that for real immersion you need a gripping story attached.  All the visuals and music scores in the world cannot save you when a player looks at what's required of them and says they simply don't care enough about what they're doing to bother with it.  You can try to make the characters so compelling that people press on no matter what because of them, but a character can be taken so very differently from what you intended. 

Of course, when you look at how many people find Pokémon compelling and/or immersive... I don't really know what to say about that.  The story is generally simplistic and takes a back seat to the fighting and collecting, character development is close to nonexistent, and neither the graphics or the sound are exactly geared for immersion. 

A well written story is definitely the biggest part of a game the adds the most immersion for me. There has a be a good point to playing the game. It has to make me want to know what happens next. Next to that is probably the environment. It's awesome if it actually makes you feel as if you are there. I guess all of those choices have a small factor of what creates immersion in a game though. Just some more than others. I mean like, really crappy controls can break a games immersion completely.

Noyb42 : I personally disagree with your mention on the Pokémon games. In Pokémon Emerald, the quality of the sound effects are actually what immersed me most in that game.

Also, I think as a 10 year-old, you'll become the most immersed in a Pokémon game, overall. Usually, playing as a kid isn't fun for kids, they just want to be superheroes, but because being a Pokémon trainer is like a childhood dream for lots of children, it is what they love about Pokémon games. The Pokémon games is one of the rare occasions in which playing as a kid character is that exciting, even for other kids playing the game.

That, and the sheer depth of the training aspect of the games which most people tend to overlook, since there's so many ways to form and train your team. But the story... Yeah, I agree, that's been pretty much the same since Gold and Silver.

I think that a well written story which develops throughout the game tops any of the others any day. I become interested in the story and then I never stop playing until the end if it is worthwhile.

Branching paths make it so that you can replay a game, but taking a different path. It also adds to the exploration aspect of a game. I also like choice-making, as well.

I am sort of picky when it comes to this, I want edge and style with creativity, a good story, and branching paths, honestly games need everything on that list in my opinion a lot of games are just recreations of other games and it feels like nothings original because its easier to make money but hey there's a future lol. 

What really impacts my feelings of a game, whether I enjoy it or not, has next to nothing to do with story, sound, or even graphics. I couldn't care less if the whole game sounds like the worst Atari 2600 game you ever heard, or looks like a stick figure and puke, that would be ok with me. Story means the lest to me out of those. What really holds water with me is the game play. Are the controls good, and more important, is the game fun to play? If the game is fun then nothing else really matters. Graphics, sound, and even story can not kill good game play, they may add to it but they can make it better. 

Well, what makes a game good is it's controls and gameplay. But this is about immersion. For me it's addictiveness and the gameplay. That is incredibly important for me. 


For immersion in a RPG it has to be a good story.

A really good story with different choices is what it does for me. Even more if the choices affects the end of the game, and not only some situations. Although i have to admit, i think i value soundtrack over everything.
I've played some games before just because of the music. And i don't regret it ^^

I think that aspect for me is the gameplay because without the gameplay there would not even be game to play there.
 
 I know it a not as good as a well written story but still gotta go with what makes the game a game.

OrdannonsX : The Soundtrack is usually the thing in video games that get's me But the characters are also a good thing to look forward too like if you get an annoying character but they will get better as in the game. And the story is also a really big part of the game without a story most games are nothing. And I usually enjoy seeing really nicely drawn and realistic graphics in games as well but it's a part that needs recognition 

Hhhhmm, that's hard to answer, there are so many things. Graphics and sound are deffidently no problem for me. I don't care. Probably the most is choices and reprocusions. I love the fact that you have to decide what happens. Second place goes to when the characters are interesting and you can really see change when something happens to or around them. 3rd is a well-written story line. I like it when it has twists and turns, but is still in the realm of possibility (as possible as the platform can get at least). Others would probably be life-like gameplay, something that makes you deal with real life problems. Minecraft, anyone?

Hard to answer but I like unique graphics is what I like most. That is what gets me interested in a game. A good story is great but I haven't played many games with good stories I like. One reason why I got into Gunman Clive. Great game.