Experiments in Immersion
The following text is the abstract of a graduate thesis regarding a singular thread of exploring story and game immersion in the browser. For the full version with images and footnotes, download the entire paper here.
In this age of information, audiences increasingly seek out a connection to the stories they read and the games they play. When a connection is made, immersion occurs. With each new medium and innovation, it becomes easier to reach and create this state of immersion. Experiments in Immersion, Part One aims to explore the use of subversion and intervention by browser extension to elicit said immersion in readers and players of online interactive narratives and narrative- based games. Part One is focused on the story-dependent alternate reality game (ARG), a game that uses reality as the platform for play, that is, it takes place in real time, using real elements like websites, phone numbers, actors, to engage players.
immersion, alternate reality games (ARG), interactive storytelling; browser extensions; javascript, subversive media, tactical media, non-linear narrative