Hello, welcome to Immersive Insights! For this project, we'll be going through the established cannon of immersive sims and seeing what makes them special! And let me tell you, this project has been a long time coming! Now, I love video games, and I love talking about video games, and since immersive sims are some of my favorite video games, shouldn't I love talking about why I love immersive sims? Well yes… I do! This project has kept getting stalled for one reason or another over the years, but I’ve finally found the time and wherewithal to do it justice! Skip the next session if you'd rather get down to the nitty-gritty of this project and don't care much about background and my personal history with immersive sims.
History And Background
I entered college to become a game designer but soon discovered a waning interest in pursuing video game development as a career. It wasn't due to a lack of love for the medium; my passion for video games remained steadfast. However, the big triple-A games that I had played throughout my youth were no longer sparking much interest. A sense of malaise followed me around during my studies and homework related to game development – and not the usual coursework fatigue, but a deeper disconnection. Contemplating my future in an industry that seemed to be gradually losing my interest, I questioned whether I wanted to bring mine to life.
It wasn't until I stumbled onto Ultima Underworld that my outlook began to change. I don't remember the exact details of the assignment, but the gist of it was that we were supposed to play an older game from a list and compare it to a modern one. On that list were a few games from the Ultima series. I was only vaguely aware of Ultima at this point and had never really paid the series much thought. But, out of curiosity (and not wanting to play Mario Paint), I chose Ultima Underworld. While playing the game and delving into its development, I fell in love with Ultima Underworld and video games all over again.
We’ll talk more about it as this series continues, but I learned so much about Looking Glass, its history, the birth of the immersive sim, and the largely untold influence of Looking Glass on gaming. What I also learned was that previously unbeknownst to me, some of my favorite games growing up were immersive sims. Thief, Deus Ex, and Bioshock were all made by some of the same people following the same design philosophies. Subsequently, I noticed that many of the textbooks I consulted contained articles written by these same creators. Hell, MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics), the framework underpinning the UCSC game design degree, was co-authored by Marc Leblanc, a pivotal figure at Looking Glass. The textbooks ceased to be dry repositories of semi-useful information. Instead, they became messages from authors who had crafted works I loved, subtly guiding me. The words in those books remained unchanged; it was my state of mind that transformed. My passion reignited, and my aspirations became clearer.
During that whole process, I learned a lot and wanted to share it, hence this project! My first go at it was during my freshman year of college and was to take the form of a series of video essays, with one video per game. It felt like a good way to practice my writing skills and share my enthusiasm with other people. I made extensive preparations. I bought a web camera, microphone, an SSD drive to store footage on, several physical copies of the games I was to cover, and drafted some scripts for the essay part of the videos. However, this was my first time going anywhere near video production. I had no prior experience whatsoever in capturing video, editing, sound mixing, etc. I plunged in head first though, hoping for the best, and after making around 20ish minutes of an Ultima Underworld video, I was embarrassed about how it was turning out. My voice, the pacing, the footage, all of it felt off. I had put a lot of work into the project at that point, and to see it amount to something that mortified me was very disempowering. I wanted to continue, but the time investment of having to ‘get good’ at video editing, then trying to make at least 6 separate videos, and also having to be in college overwhelmed me, so I gave up.
My second serious go was during the start of covid. “I have a lot of time on my hands now,” I thought. “This should be a piece of cake!” I kept the scripts from the last attempt (with some modifications here and there), but threw out all previous footage and started over. This second attempt went a little better than the first; the editing was cleaner, the audio mixing was a little nicer, etc. I still wasn't entirely happy with how the product was turning out, but it was showing more potential than my last attempt, and at least for this one, I would be willing to let someone watch the footage. Sadly, tragedy struck: my dear 25lb Pro Gamer MSI Titan Laptop, the computer I had had throughout college, had survived such tragedies as accidentally falling 10 feet, having coffee spilled all over it, being sat on, and god knows how many viruses, suffered one final fatal bluescreen while updating Adobe Premiere, thus taking all of my footage up to laptop heaven with it. At this point, I decided to throw in the towel and let the project die...
Until now that is!
I don't know what reinvigorated my desire to try and do this again, perhaps it's nostalgia for all the goddamn essays I had to write in college, or maybe it’s because I’ve just replayed Prey for the 7th time. No matter! For this attempt, I have decided to just stick to text and forgo the headache that is video production altogether. It'll make things easier on me and reduce the amount of trouble I have to go through (hopefully). The goal is to have one entry in this series every few weeks. I will lift some parts of my old scripts, but I will mostly be writing new material for this endeavor, as some of my opinions and thoughts have changed, as well as the landscape for immersive sims is much different today than it was when I started my initial attempt in 2017 (wow time flies).
So what is an Immersive Sim anyway?
To be classified as an immersive sim, a game typically incorporates highly systemic gameplay systems that provide a significant degree of player freedom and emergent gameplay, although exceptions may exist. Titles commonly identified as immersive sims include those such as Thief, System Shock, Ultima Underworld, Deus Ex, and Dishonored. In these games, there isn't a definitive "right" way to play; instead, they adapt to various player actions, dynamically responding to choices made throughout the experience. This simulation aspect often extends to in-game environments, cultivating a dynamic, living world where diverse elements interact based on the player's decisions. Also, usually, as an easter egg, the number combination 0451 makes an appearance, often as a safe or door unlock combination.
Typically, there are no stringent restrictions on player actions, exemplified by two games in the same series: Morrowind and Skyrim. In Morrowind, players can attempt to eliminate crucial quest-giving NPCs, facing potential consequences such as missing significant parts of the game. In contrast, Skyrim grants immortality to key NPCs without in-universe justification, departing from established ludic rules and potentially disrupting the immersive experience. Whether this deviation from established rules is considered good or bad design remains subjective, but straying from the established ludic framework may risk breaking the player's immersion in the game. Speaking of immersion…
Defining the “immersive” part of immersive sim is rather difficult. Going by the dictionary definition, immersiveness is described as ‘providing, involving, or characterized by deep absorption or immersion in something (such as an activity or a real or artificial environment),’ which is a reasonable starting point. Many immersive sims aim to steer clear of common gaming conventions that might remind players of the artificial nature of the world they inhabit. Tropes such as unkillable NPCs, linear level design, invisible walls, setpieces, etc., are all elements that most immersive sims strive to avoid, as their inclusion could shatter the illusion that the player isn't in a living, breathing digital world. This dedication to sidestepping traditional constraints allows players to fully immerse themselves in the game environment, amplifying the overall sense of presence and engagement. The objective is to craft an experience where players feel profoundly connected to the virtual world, surpassing the confines of traditional gaming and fostering an elevated level of immersion.
Let's contrast two distinct (yet still very fun!) games to better understand our discussion: Doom and Thief.
Both fall under the category of first-person action games with a level-based structure. However, their divergence lies in their approach to engaging players. In Doom, the emphasis is on fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled gameplay, highlighting quick reflexes and combat. The primary objective is typically to eliminate as many demons as possible to progress through levels. Although various weapons are available, the primary ludic interaction centers around shooting. Plot, world-building, and environmental interactions are downplayed, with the setting serving as a backdrop to provide some motivation and context for the player's actions.
On the other hand, Thief adopts a more deliberate and measured gameplay approach, featuring slow-paced, stealth-oriented mechanics. Players must navigate shadows, plan movements, and outsmart opponents to succeed. However, it's crucial to note that slow gameplay alone doesn't define an immersive sim; Portal is a relatively slow experience, but few would argue it counts as an immersive sim. The true distinction lies in the amalgamation of systems and the array of choices afforded to players. They can opt to engage enemies in combat, avoid them altogether, or even manipulate their AI. In any given scenario, players have numerous options. Moreover, there's often an emphasis on seamlessly integrating story and gameplay. In Thief, for instance, the narrative unfolds not just through cutscenes but also organically within the environment, urging players to explore and uncover lore. The crux of the matter lies in the player's agency and the consequential impact of their decisions within the game world. Immersive sims thrive on the interplay of dynamic systems and player choices, creating an experience where the virtual environment becomes a canvas for the player's distinctive narrative, rather than a predetermined path dictated by the game itself.
So for this series, each entry is gonna consist of two parts.
For the first part, I’ll start by talking about the game, where it fits into the canon of Immersive Sims, its relationship to other immersive sims, some aspects of its development, and its context in the wider gaming world.
For the second part of an entry, the theming is gonna be rather loose. I'll mostly talk about the different aspects of the game I find noteworthy and interesting. Think of the second part as a series of loosely connected mini-essays if you will. My original intention was to talk about each game's level design, gameplay, and story, and how they all intersected in a list-like fashion. After getting halfway through a few drafts though, I found that this utilitarian way of analysis was dulling the parts of games I found interesting. While I think you can gain some valuable insights from this approach, this way of “objective” analysis can obfuscate what makes a game interesting.
So to save time, Ultima Underworld 1 & 2 will be one entry instead of two. Same for Thief 1 & 2. As we traverse through the established canon of immersive sims, I will also be taking small detours here and there to look at games that may not necessarily be considered imsims but are still worth talking about. So, with all that being said, stay tuned soon for the first entry into the series: Ultima Underworld!
