Connect Four

Subjective Experience of Rule-Based Immersion in Abstract Strategy Tabletop Games

This study examines rule-based immersion in abstract strategy tabletop games, a dimension of player experience that the authors argue has received far less attention than narrative and fictional-world immersion.

• Rule-based immersion in abstract strategy tabletop games has received far less attention than narrative and fictional-world immersion, and this study argues it deserves a dedicated framework.
• Thematic analysis of interviews with ten non-hobbyist participants aged 21 to 30 (recruited from one college in India) after four sessions of Connect Four and either Azul or Battleship identified the ludic elements, ludic events, and player attributes shaping immersion.
• The study describes ludic elements as interconnected: objectives drive strategy, strategy drives actions, and actions produce feedback.