The Routledge Companion to Immersive Arts and Media

The Routledge Companion to Immersive Arts and Media is an essential guide to one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving sectors within the contemporary creative cultural industries. Bringing together 50 essays by leading experts from across media industry studies, theatre, performance studies, critical event studies, media history, game theory, and immersive technologies, it presents a comprehensive history and state-of-the-art overview of immersive experiences on a global scale. The companion offers a cutting-edge introduction to key debates, methods, and developments in the field, from intimate indoor game-based engagements such as escape rooms to sprawling collective activations like Secret Cinema's live film IP experiences. It highlights how immersive experiences unite multiple areas of creative practice, connecting disciplines, practices, techniques and genres in unique ways. Designed for scholars, students and professionals in the immersive sector, this collection provides an essential foundation for understanding how immersive media and arts have become a fundamental feature of contemporary cultural life. It is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to grasp the creative forces that define this ground-breaking cultural trend.