Rethinking Immersion: A Multicomponent Analysis of Task, Sensory, and Narrative Dimensions in Games: A Comparative Study of Presence, Immersion, and Engagement Questionnaires
Author
Jensen, Simon Reinhold
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-06-04
Pages
47
Abstract
This study examines immersion and the tools used to measure it. We ask whether two closely related questionnaires—Presence (the feeling of “being there”) and Engagement (involvement and attention)—capture distinct concepts or simply different parts of immersion. Drawing on theories of Flow, Presence, and Immersion, we propose a framework with three dimensions: Task (goals, challenge, and action), Sensory (what is seen and heard), and Narrative (story and meaning). To evaluate this framework and current questionnaires, we ran a multi-part experiment using two different games, Cubism and Subnautica. Participants completed the individual questionnaires as well as control items designed to target each of the three dimensions. We analyzed the relationships using factor-based methods, correlation analysis, and comparative statistics. The results show that immersion is multidimensional and context dependent: different dimensions matter more depending on the game. The questionnaires also capture different aspects of the experience, highlighting their limitations. We conclude that there is a need for questionnaires that clearly distinguish between the dimensions of immersion.
Dette studie undersøger indlevelse (Immersion) og de spørgeskemaer, der bruges til at måle den. Vi spørger, om to nært beslægtede spørgeskemaer — Presence (følelsen af at "være der") og Engagement (involvering/opmærksomhed) — måler hver deres selvstændige begreb, eller blot forskellige dele af indlevelse. Med udgangspunkt i teori om Flow, Presence og Immersion foreslår vi en ramme med tre dimensioner: Opgave (mål, udfordring og handling), Sanseindtryk (det, man ser og hører), og Fortælling (historie og mening). For at afprøve rammen og vurdere eksisterende spørgeskemaer gennemførte vi et flerleddet eksperiment med to forskellige spil, Cubism og Subnautica. Deltagerne besvarede både de enkelte spørgeskemaer og kontrolspørgsmål, som var designet til at indfange hver af de tre dimensioner. Vi analyserede sammenhængene med faktorbaserede metoder, korrelationsanalyser og sammenlignende statistik. Resultaterne viser, at indlevelse er flerdimensional og afhænger af kontekst: forskellige dimensioner er vigtigere alt efter spillet. Spørgeskemaerne fanger desuden forskellige aspekter af oplevelsen, hvilket peger på deres begrænsninger. Vi konkluderer, at der er behov for spørgeskemaer, som tydeligt skelner mellem indlevelsens forskellige dimensioner.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]