Week 07

Game Decisions

This week's topic is on the flow theory with games. Flow is really important to create an engaging game for the audience to optimize replayability and fun.

What is Flow?

Flow is a psychological theory that we can adapt to our game to create challenges that are both engaging and matched to the player's skill level this will help the players stay interested in the game that they are playing.

Games can be better suited to people with theories or aspects that are similar to human psychology rather than having the player just winging it and having no clue or thought behind the game.

Flow is a very important aspect of gaming in today's generation and its key for all game creators to have an understanding of how Flow works

A simple way of how works on the most basic way are:

1. Present the player with a challenge
2. The player then completes this challenge
3. Maintain the flow state

This is important that the player maintains the flows state because its what's going to make the player keep playing the game, so maintaining the flow start for the player is the most difficult task for developers out there, people nowadays are always looking for the next big thing, so if developers are able to create a great game that incorporates a better flow they will have really good engagement with their audience and have the best chances of a great game.

Then the player archives this flow state through the game it is called being in the zone, this is when the player losses all sense of the things around them and is fully locked into the game they are playing. The aim is that they want the player to be at peak engagement 

The best way to keep the player interested is to make it challenging, as the game goes on the player will gain skill as the player gains skill the challenges should get harder in tandem.

In most games these days this line isn't completely straightforward and direct, there is usually some sort of natural and makes for a good variety. if you make the challenge too easy for the player they will lose interest and won't be engaged in the game. The same thing would happen if you made the game too hard for the player, they wouldn't be able to complete the level and won't be bothered, and will lose interest. So in order for the player to be optimally engaged, challenges should be presented at a level equivalent or slightly higher than their current skill level. Not too easy, not too hard. 

When making a game there are some things to consider when it comes to flow and how it can be affected. These are:

1. Does you game have any difficulty spikes?
2. Does the game have long sections of easy tasks or empty content?
3. Do you always get the player to do roughly the same thing? (the fight the same enemy?) 
4. And does your game keep introducing new skills or new ways to use the current skill set?

 More info on these headings you can find in this really helpful youtube video here: https://youtu.be/3H8pQyyXxHg

Here is part two the first video of the informative YouTuber named Game design with Michael: https://youtu.be/BVqjLDwAnO0

There was also this really informative academic paper on the aspects of flow check it out here: Week 07 readings - OneDrive (sharepoint.com)