Games Decisions

 

Source

In this weeks reading the flow theory in games is the theme for this week. Flow is critical for creating an interesting game for the audience providing pleasure for the player. 

Flow is a psychological principle that we can apply to our game to create challenges that are both entertaining and appropriate for the player's skill level, allowing them to remain engaged in the game. We can utilise flow as a tool to assist improve our game in many ways by understanding things like this tiny diagram, and we can also have a framework for gameplay that is based on human psychology rather than winging it.

We'll be working our way through Flow's straightforward progression. We aim to put a challenge in front of the player. The player will be pushed into a flow state by the challenge, and we want to keep them there. Flow state is also described a being "in the zone".

A flow graph is a graph that shows how player skill is mapped to challenge on the y-axis. When players first begin the game, they have just a rudimentary comprehension of the rules. As they progress through the game, the skill level rises, and with that rise comes an increase in challenge, so we end up with a line that looks like this. Because the player would have limited skills at first, the task should be easy and straightforward. The player will be an expert at the game systems by the conclusion of the game, therefore the challenge should be fairly difficult to overcome.

We must be aware of the player's skill level and gradually increase the game's difficulty as the player improves. Also, if the player is having difficulty, we should reduce the challenge, and if the player is cruising through everything we put at them, we should throw a wrench in the works and increase the challenge.

We need to challenge the player at a level that is equivalent to or somewhat greater than their present skill level in order to keep them engaged. It's not too easy, and it's not too difficult. Then, as the player's skill increases, continue to increase the challenge, keeping in mind that dramatic changes in complexity may result in a loss of engagement.

bibliography

Building a Princess Saving App

Flow experience in computer game playing among Thai university students

https://youtu.be/3H8pQyyXxHg