Caillois and play forms.

Here are the five games that I admire the most in various ways organized onto a table in the categories I feel like they fill.

The Metroid Prime trilogy to me is my all-time favourite series of games. I feel like it fits the mimicry category due to the player taking the position of a main character, with set history, lore and their own morals. The player effectively takes on the "roll" of the protagonist and has a set narrative to abide by. However, the emphasis on the exploration element and non-linear progression leads to some very immersive experiences that leads you through alien worlds, which is why I also placed Metroid in the ilinx section also.

Maybe it is my own misunderstanding of the category "ilinx", but I feel like a good amount of games could be considered for this slot as in my opinion immersion can alter your perception. Whether it be time in the real world, or accidentally applying in game knowledge to real world scenarios, wouldn't this class as ilinx?

Nonetheless I continue. I placed Earthbound in the Alea, mimicry and ilinx for similar reasons. The "chance" elements seem very prevalent within the RPG genre as RNG damage systems and such can alter every playthrough of the game, even in small amounts. I believe this can add up through the "butterfly" effect, changing playthroughs in forms such as enemy encounters, experience gains and loot drops. By playing a game with these mechanics, aren't you surrendering to destiny and the will of the game? As an RPG by nature, you play a protagonist; taking their appearance, gestures and voice. (Unless the game in question allows for character creation such as fallout and skyrim, although the story remains unchanged and is independent of the protagonist).
I placed it in ilinx not because of immersion but because of the ways the game portrays real world problems and cultures in a skewed and quirky perspective towards the player. For example, one chapter of the game has you battle against members of a cult whose clothing mirrors that of the Ku Klux Klan albeit blue and with the intent of painting everything blue.

Halo and DOOM share the same reasoning for its placements as Metroid. Although due to the competitive multiplayer experiences found in halo, where ranks display a players experience and in some instances skill, players can be sorted into various groups according to who is "better" and "worse" at the game.

Runescape is a MMORPG in a similar vein to World of Warcraft. I feel like Runescape is primarily a competitive game but not for the basic PVP elements as expected. The games lifespan primarily consists of grinding levels to reach an inevitable cap (which can take MONTHS to reach, by the way) while slaying monsters and completing quests. The skill cap system rewards players with cosmetic items to "flaunt their gains" alongside regularly updated leaderboards for almost every aspect of the game - providing a lot of competitive gameplay, without player interaction.