Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Many assume that, when a game's over, there's nothing more to reflect on besides the fun. Positive psychology's theory of "Flow" prompts a similar stance. But what if games & Flow are both saying more than we might suppose at first glance?
SPOILER WARNINGS FOR:
Papers Please
Undertale
Brenda Romero's Train
To avoid spoiling any of the above, jump to: 4:44
-Links for the Curious-
Soderman, B. (2021) Against Flow: Video Games and the Flowing Subject. The MIT Press. Available at: doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12831.001.0001.
2023-09-08 (observed) - đĄ by Mike Rugnetta (no date). Available at: satelliteantennaemoji.substack.com/p/2023-09-08-observed (Accessed: 26 September 2023).
169 | C. Thi Nguyen on Games, Art, Values, and Agency â Sean Carroll (no date). Available at: preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2021/10/18/169-c-thi-nguyen-on-games-art-values-and-agency (Accessed: 15 September 2023).April 08, A.M.B. and 2013 (2013)
Flow, Player and Employee Jounrey, Game Developer. Available at: gamedeveloper.com/business/flow-player-and-employee-jounrey (Accessed: 23 September 2023).
Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Bennett, S. (1971) âAn Exploratory Model of Playâ, American Anthropologist, 73(1), pp. 45â58.DICE 2010: âDesign Outside the Boxâ Presentation (2015). Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=nG_PbHVW5cQ (Accessed: 26 September 2023).
Eliasson, D. (no date) âWhat Level Design Elements Determine Flow?â, level design [Preprint].Frequently Asked Questions on Flow - Steven Kotler (no date). Available at: stevenkotler.com/rabbit-hole/frequently-asked-questions-on-flow (Accessed: 26 September 2023).
Interactive Principles (no date). Available at: eharpste.github.io/interactive-principles/# (Accessed: 14 September 2023).
March 22, S.B. and 2012 (2012) Cognitive Flow: The Psychology of Great Game Design, Game Developer. Available at: gamedeveloper.com/design/cognitive-flow-the-psychology-of-great-game-design (Accessed: 22 September 2023).
Nicholson, S. (2015) âA RECIPE for Meaningful Gamificationâ, in T. Reiners and L.C. Wood (eds) Gamification in Education and Business. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1â20. Available at: doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10208-5_1.
Showâ, âThe Ezra Klein (2022) âOpinion | Are We Measuring Our Lives in All the Wrong Ways?â, The New York Times, 25 February. Available at: nytimes.com/2022/02/25/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-c-thi-nguyen.html (Accessed: 14 September 2023).
Staff, W. (no date) âNext-Gen Dashboards Teach Leadfoots How to Hypermileâ, Wired. Available at: wired.com/2008/12/when-ford-and-h (Accessed: 26 September 2023).
The âFlowâ stateâs influence during game design process. | by RamĂłn DĂaz | Medium (no date). Available at: medium.com/@raydaz/the-applications-relevance-of-flow-state-design-in-video-games-1572dac0d2c (Accessed: 22 September 2023).
The Tyranny of the Marginal User - by Ivan Vendrov (no date). Available at: nothinghuman.substack.com/p/the-tyranny-of-the-marginal-user (Accessed: 15 September 2023).
(2) Overwatch: Reinhardt Gameplay - Route 66 Payload Attack - YouTube (no date). Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=csqVRdBax2I (Accessed: 1 October 2023).
youtube.com/watch?v=d6i5Ylu0mgM
youtube.com/watch?v=taFOnuZsSng
Many assume that, when a game's over, there's nothing more to reflect on besides the fun. Positive psychology's theory of "Flow" prompts a similar stance. But what if games & Flow are both saying more than we might suppose at first glance?
SPOILER WARNINGS FOR:
Papers Please
Undertale
Brenda Romero's Train
To avoid spoiling any of the above, jump to: 4:44
-Links for the Curious-
Soderman, B. (2021) Against Flow: Video Games and the Flowing Subject. The MIT Press. Available at: doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12831.001.0001.
2023-09-08 (observed) - đĄ by Mike Rugnetta (no date). Available at: satelliteantennaemoji.substack.com/p/2023-09-08-observed (Accessed: 26 September 2023).
169 | C. Thi Nguyen on Games, Art, Values, and Agency â Sean Carroll (no date). Available at: preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2021/10/18/169-c-thi-nguyen-on-games-art-values-and-agency (Accessed: 15 September 2023).April 08, A.M.B. and 2013 (2013)
Flow, Player and Employee Jounrey, Game Developer. Available at: gamedeveloper.com/business/flow-player-and-employee-jounrey (Accessed: 23 September 2023).
Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Bennett, S. (1971) âAn Exploratory Model of Playâ, American Anthropologist, 73(1), pp. 45â58.DICE 2010: âDesign Outside the Boxâ Presentation (2015). Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=nG_PbHVW5cQ (Accessed: 26 September 2023).
Eliasson, D. (no date) âWhat Level Design Elements Determine Flow?â, level design [Preprint].Frequently Asked Questions on Flow - Steven Kotler (no date). Available at: stevenkotler.com/rabbit-hole/frequently-asked-questions-on-flow (Accessed: 26 September 2023).
Interactive Principles (no date). Available at: eharpste.github.io/interactive-principles/# (Accessed: 14 September 2023).
March 22, S.B. and 2012 (2012) Cognitive Flow: The Psychology of Great Game Design, Game Developer. Available at: gamedeveloper.com/design/cognitive-flow-the-psychology-of-great-game-design (Accessed: 22 September 2023).
Nicholson, S. (2015) âA RECIPE for Meaningful Gamificationâ, in T. Reiners and L.C. Wood (eds) Gamification in Education and Business. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1â20. Available at: doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10208-5_1.
Showâ, âThe Ezra Klein (2022) âOpinion | Are We Measuring Our Lives in All the Wrong Ways?â, The New York Times, 25 February. Available at: nytimes.com/2022/02/25/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-c-thi-nguyen.html (Accessed: 14 September 2023).
Staff, W. (no date) âNext-Gen Dashboards Teach Leadfoots How to Hypermileâ, Wired. Available at: wired.com/2008/12/when-ford-and-h (Accessed: 26 September 2023).
The âFlowâ stateâs influence during game design process. | by RamĂłn DĂaz | Medium (no date). Available at: medium.com/@raydaz/the-applications-relevance-of-flow-state-design-in-video-games-1572dac0d2c (Accessed: 22 September 2023).
The Tyranny of the Marginal User - by Ivan Vendrov (no date). Available at: nothinghuman.substack.com/p/the-tyranny-of-the-marginal-user (Accessed: 15 September 2023).
(2) Overwatch: Reinhardt Gameplay - Route 66 Payload Attack - YouTube (no date). Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=csqVRdBax2I (Accessed: 1 October 2023).
youtube.com/watch?v=d6i5Ylu0mgM
youtube.com/watch?v=taFOnuZsSng
