Immersion - NYTimes: kids in games

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

The New York Times published this video showing kids faces as they are immersed in video games.
There is a lot you can deduct... ;-)
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/11/21/magazine/1194833565213/im...

[Or-Tal Kiriati]

What I found most shocking in this video is that the only smiles came out of defeating the enemy or gloating. So even the most positive - came out of a negative.
Having said that, please make a note that the games the kids are playing are not meant for kids these ages: Some of the game developers on the LinkedIn community made a remark that this video is made deliberately so we turn against games and what they do to kids.
So what I take from this is that kids can immerse in games and experience very strong emotions. I think some tension is a crucial part of any immersible game (hope I used the correct term...). I also think that game developers, where ever they are, should consider more humor and fun and a general question of how to make the kids happy, and not necessarily happy from making another creature suffer.

[Ian Carmichael]

Hmm indeed. Interesting. Disturbing. Challenging. Thanks for the brain food, Or-Tal.