Being in the game - Towards a definition of musical immersion in video games

Abstract

When discussing video games the term immersion is often used. However, there seems to be a lack of academic consensus regarding the definition of this term. Some researchers claim that video game immersion and Csikszentmihalyi’s optimal experience should be seen as two distinct concepts, but the terms are also often used interchangeably. This same lack of academic consensus is found in the definition of game musical immersion. This concept has been hinted at by researchers, investigating the role of music in immersion, but a definition has yet to be found. In this thesis I discuss three theories regarding immersion and how they correlate. I first explore the theory of the optimal experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, where a state is described where a person loses a sense of the self and is engrossed by their activity. This theory of flow, as Csikszentmihalyi describes it, can be viewed as a generalized theory of immersion. It describes requirements for achieving the optimal experience in our activities. Furthermore, I discuss how this is applied to video games based on Laura Ermi and Frans Mayra’s SCI-model. This model allows to break up the complexity of video games into three dimensions. The sensory, challenge-based, and imaginative dimensions describe different types of immersion. Then, I dive deeper into the ALI-model by Isabella van Elferen. This model describes three dimensions of game musical immersion. Where musical affect, literacy, and interactivity overlap game musical immersion is most optimal according to van Elferen. I conclude this thesis with a proposed definition for game musical immersion for which van Elferen paved the road.