ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses how games can persuade game players through both gameplay and narrative mechanisms. Specifically, it describes how psychologically immersive states, such as flow or transportation, can facilitate games-based persuasion. In part, this process is dependent on the cognitive demand that causes and/or is caused by immersive states. An optimal level of cognitive demand can engender immersion as gameplay or narrative difficulty is a key determinant of the ability to become immersed in a game. Further, to the extent that an immersive state consumes cognitive resources, games-based persuasion should be facilitated through the prevention of counter-arguing.