Immersion in ttrpgs and larps

Every now and again, I see on Reddit and other places talk about immersion in ttrpgs and larps as being really important.

And because I’m not sure what that really means, I’ve tried to figure it out. 

(Clearly this isn’t the first time anyone has tried to do this, but this is my take on what immersion means to me.)

Define: Immersion

Asking Google (in April 2026) for a definition of immersion brings up this response:

Immersion (noun)

1. the action of immersing someone or something in a liquid.

2. deep mental involvement in something.

Google’s source is Oxford Languages.

#1 Immersion in a liquid

I’m pretty sure nobody in these discussions uses “immersion” to mean being immersed in a liquid. (Although Bubbles is an anthology of hot-tub larps, and Prawn is a larp set in a fish tank and held in a swimming pool. No doubt that players have joked about how immersive those games are. I know I would.)

Immersive experiences

But a broader interpretation of #1 would include immersive experiences, such as immersive theatre (such as Punchdrunk). The closest thing I’ve come to trying one of these was Alien War in London, back in the 1990s. (I’ve written about Alien War before.)

Sometimes these immersive experiences stretch the meaning a little. I think the idea of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is that you feel as if you are inside the painting. (I don’t know, I’ve not actually been – despite there being one on my doorstep.)

I’ve not done Bridge Command either. I hear it’s good, though I suspect you have to visit regularly to get the most out of it. If I went to London more regularly, maybe I would try it.

ttrpgs and larp

While I can imagine this kind of immersion in a larp, I don’t for a moment believe that this is what ttrpgers mean when they say immersion. Not unless the ttrpg they are playing is a game about modern-day folk playing tabletop roleplaying games.

And as far as larp goes, I think the idea is that a fully immersive environment lets players inhabit their characters without anything getting in the way.

Which sounds great, but I don’t work like that. I’m never not playing a game, and even immersive environments have elements that arguably drag players out from their immersion. (Some examples: Magic. Tracking wounds. Spectacles. Wheelchairs. Contrails. Power lines. Double-glazing.)

Worse, this kind of what-you-see-is-what-you-get feels a little too re-enactment-y to me. I remember watching magicians in a larp spend minutes casting their spells (drawing patterns in chalk, chanting, etc.), and it looked so boring to me. Can’t I just roll some dice? (And larps where you sleep in character? Ugh – I need breaks!)

Immersion of that sort isn’t a particular draw for me, but what about the second definition?

#2 Deep mental involvement

So this is the kind of immersion that works for me. I can get lost in a book. I can get lost in a video game. And yes, I can get lost in a ttrpg or a  larps.

But strangely, the immersion is different for ttrpgs and larps.

ttrpg/larp immersion as a player

Playing ttrpgs: In ttrpgs, I rarely experience immersion as a player. As a player, there are too many distractions for me to be completely immersed – and that’s not helped by the spotlight nature of ttrpgs. With four players and a completely fair GM, then I am only “playing” for 25% of the time. The rest of the time I am waiting and watching – which is fine, but not particularly compelling, and I’m unlikely to feel “deep mental involvement.” (I hate combat in ttrpgs for this reason. It’s so dull.)

Playing larps: But in larps, the percentage of time that I’m actually playing (rather than waiting or watching) is much, much higher. In the larps I enjoy, pretty much everything I need to resolve my character’s goals is held by other players – so there’s very little downtime. (In a weekend-long freeform larp, I will typically interact with the GMs for only a few minutes in total.) And so I find them much more involving and therefore immersive. The times I hate larps are when I’m bored – which usually means I don’t have enough to “do.”

ttrpg/larp immersion as a GM

As a GM, things are flipped.

GM-ing-ttrpgs: I find GM-ing a ttrpg completely absorbing. I’m fully focused on the players and on managing the game, the rules, and everything else. I’m completely immersed in the game – I don’t have the time to be distracted.

GM-ing larps: But in a larp, particularly the freeform larps I like to write and run and play, GM-ing is often a very passive activity. Once the game is set up and running, players often don’t need the GM. I am often only there for when the players need to interact with the world, and often they don’t need me much at all.

Immersion ≠ staying in character

It’s worth noting that for me, immersion does not mean staying in character. When I’m playing a larp I drop in and out of character quite often – but I’m still completely immersed in the game. (I find it hard to actually stay in character – I’m always playing a game.)

Other forms of immersion

So far so good, but “immersion” seems to have other meanings in ttrpgs and larps.

Immersion = staying in character

Having said that, for me, immersion does not mean staying in character; I recognise that the opposite is true for others. (As I’ve said, I’m lousy at staying in character.)

In fact, the Nordic Larp Wiki has this definition for immersion: Immersion" refers to a state of mind where a player does not need to actively suspend disbelief in the fictional universe, and where role-playing flows as naturally and easily as if you really were the character.

So I think this is about how much a player feels like they are their character and that they are in the game world. How real does it feel in their imagination?

If so, then immersion-breakers are things (in the rules or how the game is played) that pull players out of the game and their characters. (I’m not quite sure why things like rolling dice don’t pull you out of character, but presumably they don’t.)

While I see this in others (or hear about it in larp stories), it’s not something I experience myself. That’s because it’s always a game; I’m always just Steve. (Some people cry. I’ve never cried in a game.)

But maybe it’s a campaign thing? I suspect that over a number of sessions, ttrpg players become attached to long-running characters and may experience this kind of connection. I’ve never played a campaign longer than a dozen sessions or so; I’m usually itching to play something else by that point. So that’s never been me.

Anyway, as I’ve explained, that’s never been me.

Breaking immersion: collaborative world-building

When I am a GM, I like my players to help build the world. I’m a fan of Jason Cordova’s “paint the scene,” so when my PCs enter a new location or meet a new NPC, I might ask them something like, “What tells you that the owner of this store is struggling to get by?” 

But some players don’t like this. As far as I can tell, they feel that the GM should come up with these details. It’s suggested that answering meta-questions like this will break their immersion. 

(As a player, I like this sort of thing.)

Is immersion a player-only thing?

There may also be a player/GM difference. I’ve seen it suggested that those of us who are GMs first and players second (which is certainly true of me), don’t lose their GM-mindset when playing, so they still think about the metagame rather than getting wrapped up in their character.

And as a result, the feeling of character immersion (however you measure it) may be less important to them than to someone who is mostly a player.

But that’s just a theory. I don’t think it’s been tested.

Immersion: Am I any clearer?

Yes, I think so.

For me, immersion is important – but for me it’s the kind of immersion that means I am fully absorbed by something. (And even then, I don’t get that from all aspects of playing ttrpgs and larps.)

The other kinds of immersion? Not so much.