Davneet Minhas’ article “Immersion, Accessibility, and the Evolution of the Video game industry” presents to us a in-depth look into the possible future in gaming.

“The overall trend in the game industry towards immersion and accessibility is fairly evident…all this technology begs the question, is immersion and accessibility good for the industry? Can complex real-time strategy titles such as StarCraft exist with the limited control schemes presented by motion recognition technology? Can the mood and atmosphere created in games like Bioshock exist with real-life hand gestures? Can intense combat and firefights like those in F.E.A.R. be accurately conveyed via motion control? One can only hope that quality in gameplay and design remain at the forefront of the video game industry, instead of accessibility and immersion.”

Yet, wouldn’t developers see excellent gameplay and design as part of ensuring accessibility and immersion is achieved for the player?

I do not believe great developers and publishers separate these goals. I also disagree to the suggestion that interaction and immersion are for casual gamers (just because the wii utilises this approach) and game play and design for the hardcore. An individual’s experience of a game is determined by the ability for the player to become fully immersed in the game play.

Traditionally, the use of the hand control was the device that acted as the invisible link between what we would like to do in real life to what we can do on the screen.

Fighting games are a classic example of this. I wish I was bad-ass martial artists who could release fireballs from his hands and leap effortlessly into the air but I know I’m not. Though I can achieve this via a game. All I need is the software and a hand control and I’m kicking ass.

too much effort! gimme the fight stick?

Would this experience be improved by applying physical gestures as the main mode of control (as inferred by an example on project Natal)? Most likely not – I’ll probably injure myself doing a kick. And that is where the developer’s skill is tested and portrayed.

Physical interaction and gestures by the player does not make immediate immersion into the game.

There is a time and place for everything.

good ol' arcades, where immersion and hand controls are friends

Developers of today need to find “time and place” for interactive gaming in their game play and design and not just throw it in for the sake of using new technology or making it easier for the wider audience. Interactive entertainment has a place in video gaming, in fact if it is implemented properly, it achieves what all developers want: fun, immersion, social experience for all and replay value.

Harmonix’s Rockband franchise is a wonderful example of achieving accessibility and immersion whilst retaining game play and design.

let the good times roll...

Most of my friends aren’t gamers, but get them on rockband and I can’t kick them out of the house. My partner enjoys a few games, but she’s not a fan of a control with freaky amounts of buttons, two sticks and a d-pad. But place into her hands a guitar peripheral and she turns into Slash!

Her hands are flailing with record speed along the fret bars and she’s rocking like a rock goddess, my mate who has no musical ability is drumming like he was born with two drumstix in his hands and my “Ned Flanders” neighbour becomes the rebel-rock-singer he has always dreamed of becoming, tattoos and all!

Rockband may not be a revolutionary concept, but it is revolutionary in striking a balance between the gameplay and accessibility, between design and immersion.

Imagine FPS games in the future allowing more than just push, click and press. Imagine the mechanics of playing an FPS game which continues with the use of a hand-control to manipulate movement of the character and targeting on screen, but incorporates Natal or the Eye Camera in small scenes such as disarming a bomb under heavy fire (or placing charges on a AA gun) as opposed to holding down a button for “x” seconds.

These gestures may add tension to the game play, especially when they apply simple manipulation gestures to achieve. Successfully achieving a “disarm” or “applying a bomb” literally depends on you!

This hand’s off the controller makes the player vulnerable to attack for a split second because they cannot move or shoot. Add time and pressure to this exercise and it may add that extra bit of tension, excitement or fear for the gamer! Emotions are important to gaming, just as it is in film, music and literature.

As for sports games, the interactive hands-free approach means anyone can get involved with hockey, Baseball, Cricket etc. Imagine playing the 2K sports “The Bigs” where your friend is pitching with the hand controller and you are batting using Natal or the Eye camera.

The movement of the batter makes sense, the immersion hopefully makes the game gripping and accessibility is achieved because individuals can do a swinging motion.

Though not all sports games can utilise such advances. Soccer may pose a problem and American football may be an issue as well - how do you tackle? But that’s why this new approach should be carefully applied.

For a developer, this new medium allows them to explore gaming and the experience it provides us with an extra angle. I agree with Davneet that interactive-controls will not remove the use of hand-controls, but I disagree that games must sacrifice one element to achieve the other.

A great developer will achieve both and by doing so, they will set the new benchmark for what we would expect in a gaming experience.

What we should fear is allowing change to compromise our standards and when I read the opinions of people who play games, I doubt that will ever happen.

To the interactive gaming and immersion trend…BRING IT ON!