I find my brain extremely happy when a game provides ample opportunity to make connections, like in Dwarf Fortress, where I watch an event unfold, which can stir my creativity and imagination like nothing else. Writing a story out of it is extremely smooth and easy compared to other sandbox games.
I also find myself in love with immersive sims like Desu Ex and Thief, where level design and exploration take a front seat, every map is like a big playground with verticality and branching paths, where you find secrets and lore hidden around every corner in an atmospheric world.
What is immersion to you?
For me I know I’m deeply immersed when my emotions are engaged. For example, if I actually feel good or bad or guilty about my decisions, actions etc. Latest game that has me hooked emotionally is Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. I feel terrible if I go around killing randoms for no reason. Or if I killed someone during a mission because it was easier to achieve my goal - I’m like that guy didn’t NEED to die in order for me to get X. I think it has to do with the that NPC’s do have a life within the world and their own personalities.