Finding and unifying definitions of immersion

The term "immersion" is frequently used to describe the experience of the user in activities such as video games, art, theatre, movies and books. It is used more often than not to describe a perceived favourable quality of experience in these activities. However, across these different areas the term immersion can have very different and often conflicting meanings - with not all immersive experiences bearing positive outcomes to those who are involved. In this presentation I discuss a various selection of definitions of immersion as seen in psychology, art, video games and virtual reality systems - highlighting the common features and rhetoric of each, as well as providing an overview of my work towards unifying them together.