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This longer gamasutra article talks about Macro Flow and Micro Flow, complete with Csikszentmihalyi's flow diagrams. "Macro flow is the constant rise in difficulty to compete with the player's increasing skill level, maintaining the balance between boredom and anxiety. Macro flow refers to the entire gameplay experience from the beginning of the game until the end, and having a good macro flow will likely result in constant interest and intrinsic motivation on the part of the player throughout the course of the game." "Micro flow is short intense periods of flow that happen frequently, as well as the constant adaptation of the game's challenges to the player's increase in skill level. It is perpetuated by repeated successes in rapid succession, which provides positive emotional and tangible feedback encouraging the player to continue in the micro flow; this is known as a virtuous cycle."

Thanks for posting, Stephanie. I wonder if these instances of "micro flow' interfere with a gamer's chances of experiencing macro flow. I'm imagining instances of micro flow to be like interesting pit stops along a road trip, while macro flow would be equivalent to the exhilaration of cruising down an open road without any interruption. Not sure if that's the right way to think about it though...

This article examines how to best create flow experiences in video games. The author argues for 1) including a variety of gameplay activities, 2) allowing players to play at their own paces, and 3) letting players make choices.

Very good synthesis of applying Flow in Education; in time for next Monday's topic on Flow. Good takeaways in the "Implications for Teachers" section.

Thanks for sharing Malik. I think this article provides a nice overview of flow and one main takeaway was the importance of positive affect. I agree that it is a good predictor of flow in an activity.

This article talks about experiential gaming and making the construct of flow operational for educational games. The study used a business simulation and questionnaire to measure videogame "flow antecedents" like clear goals and challenge-skill balance, flow state indicators like concentration and time distortion, and the "flow consequences" of learning and exploratory behavior for about 100 students attending a school of economics. "This study is part of an ongoing attempt to develop a usable and valid scale for assessing flow experience in educational games." (Log in with Harvard access)

Tying in with our conversation about flow, this article mentions a way to physically induce flow through "transcranial direct current stimulation".

I have to say..I am a bit weirded out by this article. The days of Johnny Mnemonic are not far behind.

I wonder if the instant feedback and scoring feature helps these kids go into a state of flow more easily while learning an instrument. The experience provides the beginner with all the requirements for flow: clear goals, right level of challenge, and instant feedback

thoughts about flow

The US Army knows quite a bit about engagement, motivation and flow. The video game America's Army is working to ensure a steady flow of young, tech savvy people into the ranks.

On a study break, I rediscovered this quite addictive, simple game that I think captures the ideas of flow quite nicely. I think the simple design, exponential scoring, soothing music, great art, and realistic physics make it quite immersive (for better or for worse!)

The music, the challenge of hitting the bells, the fact that the bells actually add some 'harmony' to the music, the high score at the end of the game. Simply brilliant. Thanks for sharing it!

An application-oriented paper that explores designing effective learning games through the use of Flow, Motivation and Fun.

Some examples on building games with Flow.

Related to our discussion of attention and flow, this article talks about external and internal causes of distraction and what to do about them.

Here is a succinct treatment of cognitive flow and its relevance for game design.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 24, 2012 SMALLab Learning LLC has launched a new embodied learning environment and multiple lessons for the learning environment called Flow. Flow brings embodied learning to any existing Interactive Whiteboard or projection surface using a single motion-capture camera, similar to the Xbox Kinect™.

An an interactive digital textbook powered by a student-created system called FLOW. "The Cachalot app, powered by FLOW, allows students to take notes, highlight text, tweet at content experts and perform Wolfram|Alpha searches without leaving the screen. (David Johnston/Cachalot)." Also interesting for T565ers about academic project turned down by publishing houses.

Is the French model of child-rearing conducive to a high capacity for flow?

interesting TED talk inlight of our recent readings

In this talk, Csikzentmihalyi goes further than describing flow as an important experience for intrinsic motivation. Is happiness a state of flow too? It is an interesting perspective though I'm sure it's not the only perspective.

A 2009 Newsweek article about how certain ways of teaching can enhance motivation, while other ways do not. The story discusses the research of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.