[1] The term can also refer to an obstacle that in reality could easily be bypassed, such as a mid-sized rock or short fence, which does not allow the character to jump over it within the context of the game.
[citation needed] In 3D games, invisible walls are used similarly to prevent a player leaving the gameplay area, or getting trapped in a small inescapable space, though visible boundaries such as stone walls or fences are generally preferred.
[6] However, the existence of invisible walls does not break player immersion as much as they might seem to, because most gamers are fully aware of the limitations of game worlds and accept the inability to venture off the path as a given.
[2] The true threat to player immersion is not the mere existence of invisible walls, but whether they are consistent and credible within the game world.
Many games, especially open-world games, use substitutes for invisible walls that prevent players from encountering an edge of a level – or becoming lost – while retaining more immersion, like extremely powerful or invincible threats or enemies,[7] such as restricted areas subject to lethal airstrikes in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.