Audience immersion is a storytelling technique which attempts to make the audience feel as though they are a part of the story or performance, a state which may be referred to as "transportation" into the narrative, permitting high levels of suspension of disbelief. [1] Audience immersion may be used to enhance learning or to create a more realistic experience. [2] Various methods may be employed to this end, including narrative perspective in writing or technical design in the performing arts. [3] [4] An early example of audience immersion is from the 1846 travelogue Pictures from Italy by Charles Dickens, in which the narrator, speaking in the first person, addresses the reader using second-person pronouns, allowing the reader to "picture themselves with Dickens as he travels." [5]
In theatre, audio-visual technologies have been increasingly employed to increase immersion. [6] For example, the 2019 Cold War play Anna used binaural sound transmitted through headphones to make "each spectator culpable in the tale of spying, surveillance and secrets" in a voyeuristic manner. [6] [7] Immersive theater is a style of theater that enforces audience immersion by physically placing the audience within the performance space, allowing interaction with performers, and breaking the fourth wall during the performance. [8] British theatre company Punchdrunk is well known for its immersive theatre productions, such as Sleep No More, an adaptation of Macbeth . [9]
Many audiovisual media formats including video games attempt to employ audience immersion. [1] [2] In video gaming, audience immersion has been studied as a strategy for promoting behavior change for the implementation of public health objectives. [1]