October 30th Questions — Alex
Concerning the state of flow and the eight factors which contribute to it – a challenging activity requiring skill, a merging of action and awareness, clear goals, direct + immediate feedback, concentration on the task at hand, a sense of control, a loss of self-consciousness, an altered sense of time – do you think games can achieve this state of flow without adhering to all 8 factors? Any examples of enthralling games which don’t adhere to all aspects of the concept?
Does anyone have any ideas about how VR/ AR tech could be employed to enhance the casual enjoyment of words with friends or similar “downtime filling” games?
Are there any other examples you can remember of games having deeply emotional impacts on you (like Floyd sacrificing himself in Planetfall)?
Are different strategies necessary to develop “identification grounded in observation as well as action and experience” (13) in games which assign the player an unchangeable avatar vs games which afford the player complete control over their avatar?