And thus we arrive at the last piece of the puzzle of interactive simulation, and by far the most important one: the protagonist. I.e. YOU. It is YOU who is holding back the illusion from "closing", from achieving complete integrity and
internal consistency. It is YOU who will not play by the rules and fucking treat that child as if it's your own. Game designers have long known how impossibly hard it is to make the player act in any kind of reasonable manner in their games; how the players will do every stupid thing they can think of apart from what they are supposed to do. Non-interactive arts may be weaker, but at least they regularly achieve perfect integrity, and that's why their effect can often be superior to interactive art, which is far more powerful, but in which the most important piece of the puzzle -- you -- refuses to cooperate and play his part properly. I am not saying that you are doing anything wrong either. It's not like you have a CHOICE of whether to believe or not the illusion. This incapacity has been well pointed out by Nietzsche. You can't say "I will believe this". You either believe something or you don't. Belief is not a choice; you can't make yourself believe something. Belief must come from elsewhere... in this case, by the game's designer
forcing it on you. Yes, the director of an interactive artwork has to go THAT far to achieve the maximum effect he can achieve: beyond even your consent (which is why the players of the most immersive artwork ever regularly ask themselves, "Why are we even here?" You are here because the Director brought you as he needs you to complete his game, the one in which He is the star and you're an extra -- wink wink -- as in the ultimate game star and director -- or
player and director, if you prefer this terminology -- have become one).