The Psycho Mantis Effect : Redefining Immersion in Conjunction with the Fourth Wall

Sammanfattning: This thesis broadens the discussion surrounding the fourth wall and immersion in games; the hypothesis being that there are more ways to manipulate the fourth wall other than breaking it, and that manipulation of the fourth wall does not necessarily break immersion. Four types of fourth wall manipulation have been labeled in this body of work: breaking, expansion, contraction, and grazing. Expansion and contraction derive from Simon Conway (2010), with minor augmentations to the contraction category having been made by this thesis. The term breaking has been narrowed down and specified while grazing was invented for this particular study. The aim is to update terminology surrounding the fourth wall to introduce it as a narrative tool for game designers, where the tool can be used in different ways that underline the narrative experience that designers want to convey. The study was done by a close reading of the games Metal Gear Solid and NieR: Automata, but references other games relevant to the different types of manipulation. The results show that the identified instances of fourth wall manipulation within the two focus games can all fit in the proposed updated terminology, with some instances elevating the play experience.