Immersion

[Morreion]

What do we mean when we call a game 'immersive'? (The Guardian)
Some games seem to grab us by the brain and won't let go. But it could be that we're doing a lot of the work ourselves...


Psychology and cognitive science shows how our brains immerse ourselves in video games. Cool story!

Immersion, realism, and flow (Tobold's MMORPG Blog)

Tobold discusses how these 3 factors are different, and how they influence your game experience.

[Regolyth]

When a player enters a temple that has no space for worship, or a tomb with no burial chamber nor rhyme nor reason behind its layout, he or she will not be convinced that they are exploring a real place. The worst starting point for a level is a series of featureless, functionless boxes joined by corridors into which gameplay is inserted from a list of gameplay goals.

Interesting article. I agree with the above quote. It's happened many times.