Greater Heights of Immersion + Player Agency

         A better question is does the player make meaningful choices that affect the game world? Of their own volition, players like to affect the world around them, and it sets games apart from other media like television, movies, and books. Being able to affect the world of the game increases immersion and can assist in creating a great player experience.
In a lower level of immersion, if a player presses a button or pulls a trigger, the gun their character holds fires. If a player sees a scrap of paper on the ground, and they hit X to pick it up, the player can then read it. If the player sees a dog wagging its tale, and the player walks up to it and a button prompt appears, the player then pets the dog. The player chooses an action the game allows them to perform with their character. If a player is not able to perform an action they want to, the player will be left feeling unsatisfied.
          On a middle level of immersion, if a player uses that gun they’re holding to shoot someone, good or bad, the other character dies. If that scrap of paper the player picks up has directions on how to find the hidden treasure under the rug, the player will go to find it and reap the rewards. If you pet the dog, the dog will become your ally and help you fight bad guys (Or just be happy you petted it, and the player will feel happy in return!). The player’s actions performed, has a consequence in the game world.
          For a higher level of immersion, the player will start to ‘feel something themselves’ about the choices they make. There was another character, a starving single mother, behind the enemy you shot and was killed in the crossfire. That treasure you found was the life savings of a father trying to get his family to a safer place. That dog you pet was very happy you pet it, and will start to follow the player character around because it likes you. All these actions, have consequences, and invoke a feeling in the player.
          Surprises are also a love-hate connection for immersion. Done well, and the player will be intrigued for more. Done poorly, and the player will close the game, and never open it again. An example of surprises being done well is Undertale. There are three main routes through Undertale known as the Neutral, Pacifist, and Genocide. For those who play through the game naturally, killing some enemies and sparing others, they will get a generally neutral ending. For those who go the extra mile and spare every enemy, bosses included, the player will find that the game dialogue, and character interactions change into a much nicer and generally happy theme, including an even happier ending. 
          In the other direction, if the player chooses to kill every single enemy in an area, the next time the player gets into a fight in the same area, all they get is a simple phrase: “But nobody came.” Later in the game when the player reaches a once lively town, the town is barren due to the townsfolk running away from a genocidal murderer killing anything they come in contact with (The Player Character). All of this culminates with, and this is a very simplified retelling (Leaving a lot out due to complexity), an evil ending where the player character speaks directly to the player (You!) and talks about your actions and ultimately kicks you out of the game. A little meta isn’t it… We’ll get more on this later.
          Allowing for players to make the choices they want, and to have consequences for them, good or bad, and invoke a feeling in the player, is what pulls players into the world. Immersion is the goal of Player Agency.
          For another example is Weird West. A game where the player can kill anyone and not get soft locked out of completing the game. The narrative and game world reacts and changes based on the player’s actions. 
          Another example would be Detroit: Become Human. You play as three different androids all with choices of their own to make, some of which may change the story of one of the other two player characters, and may even result in killing the other two player characters.
          In all of the examples, player actions result in consequences in the game world. Some of which invoke strong reactions in the players happy their actions worked out, and others depressed they may have chosen the wrong choice.
          This then leads me to…

          In a perfect game, where immersion is at 100% and the player can do anything they can imagine, the player and the character would be in sync, both in actions, and mindset. This would allow for the player to experience a game in its absolute fullest potential. However, this is not possible. The player character is an avatar for the player to experience the game. In other words, a vessel for the player. The closest you might get is to align both the player’s and the avatar’s wants, but certainly not their needs. The worst (In most circumstances) is when the avatar’s wants do not align with the player’s. This is when the game begins getting a dissonance, and the player begins to not care about the narrative you’re inviting them to experience through the game.
There is a good question to ask yourself when making any character for your game, including your player character: What do they desire? In other words, what are their goals. What are their hopes and dreams? Going deeper, how are they willing to achieve those goals? These questions require specific answers, as well as be achievable within the game, to be successful in grabbing the player’s interest.
          Going into Player Characters in particular, if you are able to make the player feel for the character you’re making, the player is more likely to want the same thing the character does. Desires that are relatable, or at least understandable, help with inviting the player to want the same thing as the characters you create. Brain-dead zombie characters with no desires are the death of the Player-Character relationship.
          The player, like most characters, desire resolution. Ever read a story or play a game that did not have a resolution? ‘Will-they, won’t they’ trope and never deliver the punch? Sometimes even the player character failing just within grasp of their goal, and then never getting back up… While sometimes poor endings are realistic, in terms of storytelling, these can turn into a disaster for your game. It can be frustrating to players and readers alike when done poorly. Immersion does not equal realism.
          As a side note, I think it is also worth mentioning the different kinds of player characters out there. Blank-slate player characters, characters that the player projects their own values onto. Customizable player characters, characters the player decides their appearance, and sometimes even their back story and personality. Set player characters that are already written by the Game Writer. These can all affect the Player-Character relationship greatly, and different kind of storytelling devices, such as environmental storytelling, side-characters, and interesting antagonists will take the role of helping solidify your world and strengthen that Player-Character relationship. For the purpose of this particular blog, I will be focusing on games using Set Player Characters written by the Game Writer.
          All in all, the Player-Character relationship is very important in getting players to be on board and invested in your game. If immersion is the goal of player-agency, then the goal of a great Player-Character relationship is keeping the story alive, believable, and engaging.
With the two concepts of Player Agency and the Player-Character Relationship, these two amount to…
          The Player Experience!

          The experience the player has when playing a game. It is as simple, or complicated, as you’d like. Without at least one of the two concepts working, player-agency or player-character relationships, the player’s experience will suffer. 
          If the player is not able to do what they want, and not relate/have interest to the character they’re playing as or the world around them, then the player will more than likely drop the game.
If the player is not able to do what they want, but enjoy the characters and the world, they might stay with the game. If the player is able to do whatever they want, but are not enjoying any of the narrative, the game may still fall flat for the player, except…
          The most important part of games is that they’re fun! What brings the fun? Good gameplay experiences. In the wise words of Reggie, “If it’s not fun, why bother?” Narrative is very important, but not as important as gameplay in creating a great player experience! Player agency is key! Having both a good sense of player-agency and player-character relationships will create the most immersion and have the most impact on the player themselves. These are the games players will keep coming back to.
          But you said that we could take immersion farther and invite the player deeper into the game?
          Yes. I did say that. With all of the above out of the way, let’s move into the theory.

          My theory is that it is possible to invite the player into the game world as themselves separate to the player-character they control. This will give both the in-game character, and the player themselves, two separate senses of agency, creating purposeful dissonance, and allowing for the player to be independent from the player-character, in which allowing for the separate desires, wants, and needs to make sense within the game world. Doing this I believe will take immersion to even greater heights.