Talking about 'immersion'

....and why it is more likely to occur in 3DVRs, I just came across this in a SL blog (from the Sim Teach site):

When form trumps function
Brent Lawson with the Hamilton Spectator in Ontario, Canada writes in a one-page article: “Not everyone is a fan (of SL). McMaster University professor Robert Hamilton says Second Life ‘fails miserably’ on several levels. ‘It does not really suspend my disbelief, it does not draw me into the experience. The graphics are really low quality, and that’s really important. ‘It’s like a Fisher Price-level entrance into this kind of stuff,’ said Hamilton, part of the multimedia department.’

Hamilton’s point has been scientifically examined in The Media Equation and the finding don’t agree."We CANNOT HELP OURSELVES from being emotionally immersed in these environments. Period. The visual “fidelity” bears no relation to this fact. This mindset is a stark example of form over function. IMHO - The more important goal is locus of control. For instance, I find it totally frustrating to BELIEVE I’m in a place with other people but then not be able to control my environment in the same ways I can in “meat space.” Proof of this urge to recreate traditional social affordances comes in Nick Yee’s recent piece about gaze aversion (PDF File) conducted in SL.