What breaks immersion the most for you?

It would definitely be performance for the most immersion breaking factor. On consoles I can overlook performance drops to an extent, but I definitely feel it more on PC.

Fucking reading too much text. Let me play the game, **** reading a book.

Having to go to the menu to change items too often. Also having too large of a HUD. The HUD isn't a problem if it makes sense to have one, like the visor in the Metroid Prime games.

Technical and performance related issues. Low frame rate, bugs and other distractions really pull me out of the experience and make it hard to enjoy games.

what if its college level?

Frequent, long-winded cut scenes.

The animals from FC4. They're assholes.

Glitches and poor performance... I mostly get truly immersed in RPG's and open world games, glitches and poor frame rate usually snap me out of the "zone" I don't mind 30FPS as long as its consistent. Nothing worse than play a game for 2-3 hours and feeling fully immersed then the framerate dropping drastically... I snap out immediately.

When a game removes direct control to show off scripted sequences, or changes to minimal control, such as look only or forced walking.

The only time I have ever liked this was the ride in the Citadel ride in Halflife 2, it serves a natural purpose. In contrast to all the escalation of shooting and blowing up, it's a cool down moment showing the inner workings of the Combine. a more restricted remake of the Black Mesa prologue used instead as a bookend. To perfection.

At worst, Valve typically will have a character like Alyx Vance point and comment on something, it can come across as trite but it generally never interrupts the flow of the game.

With Portal 2's ending, Wheatley not only instructs the player to look at the moon, you're control suddenly becomes crippled to ensure it's the only thing you can do. They lowered themselves to Infinity Ward level. A disgusting, disgusting game.

With good coop.

My wife.

My cat.

Zelda has amazing text, not much reading either.

My girlfriend trying to **** me.

That damn bastard, leave me alone, I'm playing hatsune miku rhythm games you filthy normie.

Performance issues for the most part but I could probably check all four of the negative points.

not much plot either*

Sounds like you need to get a desk with more room underneath.

Cinematic walking.

When the console is so weak I can't feel the Power coursing through my veins. That seriously affects the immersion for me.

Bad voice acting

Things like playing EuroTruck Simulator and see a "Stockholm Centrum" sign when drive in to Göteborg...

isn't that all consoles?

Screen freezing..... the worst. If I lose enough progress I'll just shut it down for the night.

Dont need one when you have an epic Legend to tell.

you dont need a plot to tell your plot?

I take it you don't like Persona 5 then? I mean other than the fact it's not a nintendo game. As much as I love the game I do audibly sigh often when the text just won't end and I want to get back to playing it. Don't anybody come at me please, I do really like Persona 5.

@mark1974: O yeah, defiantly not my type of game. Some people dont mind it, but for some reason, it just drives me crazy.

cluttered/intrusive UIs. easily.

None of that. What breaks immersion (for me) is when the game takes control away from you, especially in first person games. Same goes for gamey User Interface. I've found that most immersive games empower the player. Examples: Looking Glass' games, STALKER, Deus Ex 1 etc.

The Wife/GF. :P

To me, it's mainly glitches. Like guns that get stuck between walls and floors, making annoying clanking sounds over and over in fps games. Falling through levels into an endless abyss...or invisible walls.

I try to focus on the fun parts. If the dialogue sucks I skip it, if the performance sucks I don't play the game, if the music or voice acting sucks I listen to music.

Menus are the worst, can't avoid those.

Three words.

Heads Up Display

A HUD is one of the most immersion breaking elements in a game, it completely changes the perception of a game and constantly reminds you that you're playing a game. This is one of the regards where PC gaming is done so correctly, HUD elements can generally be completely disabled and if they can't by the game you can generally force them to be disabled by configuration edits or mods.

Puzzles, getting lost etc.

Also, games that require you to do heaps of internet searching to learn the mechanics.

For starters......

Seeing my own character. I like to pretend it's me on the screen. Much harder if the player's character is in third-person perspective. That's why I prefer first-person games or at least, switchable third-person and first-person.

1. Low fps
2. Other graphical issues
3. Lousy UI
4. Not enough detail
5. Obviously repeated NPCs
6. Really restrictive player movement

On the topic of Witcher 3: Was Djikstra's behavior that uncharacteristic? He does kind of have a grudge towards Geralt. It could be that he had it all planned from the beginning - to kill two birds with one stone.

the wall cover.

Cutscenes, when they are too long and frequent.

Quick-time events, when there are many. I forgave them in RE4, for some reason, but **** man. I really hate QTEs.

and of course.. my girlfriend.

Frequent cutscenes & long arse cutscenes...even worst long arse unskippable cutscenes. Is this a game? or a freaking movie?..

Actually some of them can be designed in a contextual manner, like a first person helmet view that it's a display on the visor. Just take Halo, Metroid Prime, and DOOM as examples.

But even outside that, c'mon man, as much as we want a seamless experience, the interface - from health, to shields, energy levels that fuel our powers (stamina, adrenaline, mana, fusion cells, etc...), enemy health, weapon ammo, weapon/armor condition, spell status effects, power cool-downs.... that is essential information we actually need to execute our combat strategy or engage the world in other ways.

I know there are some games with a "hardcore" mode that disables a HUD, but since a game can't provide actual sensory feedback, such as what pain does to inform us of our injuries, how are you going to know when you have the endurance to be aggressive, or when you need to be defensive? The bar may be "antiquated" by some standards but it works.

Immersion is really about focus. We only really notice the HUD when we need it, but the rest of the time our focus is on the avatar (unless we're in first person) and the world through which our screen is a window into that we simply allow ourselves to get lost in. It's just like reading a book, after a few seconds we forget that we're holding it, forget that we're sitting on our couch as our mind creates the images formed by the words and we're transported. Or the way we tune out background noise to zero in on a conversation we're having or just the TV we're watching. Similarly all this management of focus is being processed by our brain in the background, that while we're absorbed in the moment, we're innately taking in the HUD info and seamlessly translating it to our actions, so effortless we barely even notice that it seems to be an autonomous reflex.

Now it may be noticeable in a new game, as we're still learning the interface and the mechanics. But after a few minutes, once we've acclimated we develop those reflexes and the subconscious takes over, creating a fluid flow of action to our active perception, to the point that we just think it, our hands carry out the commands seemingly independently, and we see the results on screen.

The real thing that breaks immersion, is our own stubborn perception to notice that it's all a simulation. Because it always will be and every game has its limits to how far it can create the illusion of its own reality. Just like with a movie, you have to relax to allow suspension of disbelief to take over.

Lots of it could be seen in Adromeda. Adromeda is like a collection bundle of immersion breakage. Poor voice acting and dialogue. Runs as poorly as i've seen a game running on consoles.

@undefined:

When you die and come back to life.

Way to destroy my immersion into a realistic world.

The HUD takes away too much of the uncertainty or surprise elements. Injury feedback can be provided by a reddening of the screen. It'll only come up if the player's character is on the verge of death. If I'm curious as to the status of the bad guy I'm shooting at, let it be through visible damage. If the enemy is all bloody, then I know he's a goner.

The lack of a HUD also means I might run out of ammo at the most inopportune time. To me, that's the cue to take cover or vacate the scene.

Locations? I rather do my own dead reckoning to find the places I need to go to. Plus, there's nothing wrong with getting lost and finding my way back. It's hard not to focus at a compass or minimap instead of what's up ahead.

Most if not all Ms games.

Dying and respawning

Silent protagonists. No game has ever been better because of a silent protagonist. The blank slate player character has never worked for a story

LOL

Doorbell, phone ringing, etc(real life distractions) and game bugs/glitches

Dying.