This study used eye-tracking interaction to investigate how narrative influences players’ gameful experience and empathy in a virtual reality (VR) shooting game. Participants were assigned to either an empathy-driven condition or a neutral condition. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a questionnaire, open-ended responses, and interviews. Results showed that the empathy-driven narrative significantly enhanced players’ sense of immersion but had no measurable effect on empathy-related reflections. These findings suggest that narrative can strengthen immersion in VR, even with minimal interaction methods like eye tracking. However, its potential to foster empathy may be limited in fast-paced game contexts without deeper narrative integration. The study highlights the importance of aligning narrative design with gameplay mechanics to support emotional engagement in VR experiences.