The Impact of Flow State and Immersion in Video Games

Abstract

Flow is a psychological concept that is often used in the design of applications and video games. This concept means that the user will go into a state of unawareness, which scales depending on the level of flow that they are in. In video games, the developer can vary the way that players experience this state or change the group of people that the game is suited for. Players can also change the level of flow by making decisions that will make their gameplay later on either easier or harder. This paper will discuss three factors that determine how and who will be able to enter the flow state in different video games. These factors are general factors, game-decided factors, and player-decided factors. The conclusion after analysis is that these factors embedded in video games cause the player to have optimal experience, or flow state.