Theorising and Designing Immersive Environments

“The book offers a rich variety of approaches and instances of immersive environments in different media. It gives a clear and coherent sense of the diversity of the physical and virtual media discussed. Where necessary, theoretical concepts, including the key concept of immersion, are recalibrated with a view to technological innovations, recognizing their traditions. For theorists and practitioners, the book provides much food for reflection, suggestions for design, and many relevant references for further reading.”

-Chiel Kattenbelt, emeritus associate professor of media comparison and intermediality, Utrecht University and board member of the International Society of Intermedial Studies

This edited volume discusses the topic of immersion, approaching it from the perspective of various media and stakeholders: experiencers and creators. While the concept of immersion has gained widespread currency in the last decades beyond video games, its critical theory has not reached the same momentum, meaning that there is no unified way of using the term. This causes many misunderstandings and stands as an obstacle to successful expectation management processes, especially in the entertainment industry. This book presents a nuanced platform of discussion to answer the question of how immersion can manifest itself in different media, and how creators are embracing the current trends within the experience economy.

Ágnes Karolina Bakk , PhD, leads the Immersion and Interaction hub at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. She researches immersive storytelling and magic science, leads projects on Metaverse relationships and VR psychological restoration, and founded the Zip-Scene conference. She teaches, speaks internationally, designs narratives for games, and co-curates the Vektor VR event.

Péter Kristóf Makai is an Assistant Professor at Kazimierz Wielki University, Poland. Péter recently finished his Crafoord Postdoctoral Fellowship at Linnaeus University in Växjö, Sweden. He has published work on Tolkien, games and worldbuilding. He is the Encyclopedia Chair of COST Action 18230, Interactive Narrative Design for Complexity Representations.