The small details should be missed.

Whenever I think back to previous immersive gaming experiences, the main factor that I find neglected are the small details. Perhaps it's something comedic that's happening in the background. Or a faint, passing sound in the distance. Or the tiny gouges in the wall that are omens for a greater nemesis. Or the hint dropping for a masterminded scheme in shadows. These elements, while small, synergize with primary gameplay and setting to accentuate a brilliant game.

Games in the 90's started to have the technology and capacity to harness and manifest these masterful details, and while not every game that did this were financially successful, they all became memorable experiences and left unforgettable legacies. The progression and modernization of gaming has not discarded these fine touches, and the resurgence of success of heavy-immersion games with significant atmosphere has only strengthened this philosophy.

Yet, something is lacking. Notably so. Almost to the extent of crippling the entire effort of the responsible developers. Only recently did I come to pinpoint what the problem was: the developers didn't want us to miss the details. They tried too hard to make sure players would notice and experience every fine detail. They would move to camera and zoom in on exactly what they wanted us to see. They would stop the gameplay so that players could hear that faint squeaking. They would make characters audibly or visually respond to the details. Protagonists would commentate on the fine detail he noticed, just in case the player missed it.

The producers find this reasonable, and I understand. If they paid a developer to add in content, this content better directly attribute to raising the game's score and quality. Leaving it to the chance of whether or not the player was perceptive enough to receive it is a bad gamble with an investment.

But when the extras are forced into the game, shoved into the players face, you don't feel in control. You don't feel the need to be perceptive. You don't feel frightened or intimidated. You don't feel like there's anything you may have missed, and you don't want to play again. Every time I reread a book or rewatch a movie, there are fine details that I glanced over at first, but then come to appreciate on subsequent views. If immersion is crucial, then part of that immersion is to be believable. And in a believable situation, you will miss some details, and you'll only be able to see everything you should if you let your imagination run away with it. The mind and imagination are the strongest weapons a developer can harness against us. With them, they can make us see what isn't there. Or believe things that were never true. Or shock us when we are the ones revealing the untold truth to ourselves. The only way to do that, is to let our minds be free, and stop guiding us with painfully exposed and over-elaborated details. We'll become more perceptive, allowing our minds to wander into the depths of the game.