Reflecting on Flow

Well obviously as an avid gamer I know about the flow.

What was said in the audio lecture about getting into the game flow state really connected with me.  Especially in high-pressure moments in games like Guitar Hero and 2D twitch-shooters (kind of like asteroids but crazy), all my focus is on the game and surviving the level. 

With respect to the flow chart, the major example that came to mind was Guitar Hero.  It was an early birthday present for me several (quite a few) years back to get my mind off of getting dumped by my girlfriend.  I started on easy and went through the entire game start to finish, then did the same on medium, then on hard.  A whole month shot by as I gained GH skills and was eventually playing on expert.

I remember at the time that it was the only activity which could get my mind off sad thoughts.  Despite everything going on in my life, when I got into the flow state playing GH it all disappeared (thankfully), as I lost all self-awareness.  From this example I could see how often I've experienced the flow state without every knowing what it really was.  The hours of dungeon-grinding and adventuring throughout the years didn't seem like much time at all.


Recently in my spare time I found a little game called Scoregasm to get my mind off things.  It is the aforementioned twitch-shooter, and it certainly is crazy.  The level of concentration needed to survive requires the flow state.  Anything less and your brain cannot process the information fast enough for you to react and dodge the incoming enemies and lasers.

It doesn't apply just to these types of games though.  Any game that can keep me interested and engaging will have me whittling away the hours in a flow state.  I think its a really cool theory and that game designers should really focus on striving that perfect balance between the flow chart axes.  This will keep gamers entertained and coming back for more.