Development of an Instrument for Studying Flow in Computer Game Play

Abstract

Flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1993; Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Csikszentmihalyi & LeFevre, 1989) has been widely adopted in research on computer games (e.g., Fu, Su, & Yu, 2009; Sherry, 2004; Sweetser & Wyeth, 2005). According to this theory, flow leads to enjoyment, a central construct in computer games. However, no such instrument, adopting a rigorous process to measure all flow elements in the field of computer games, has been developed and validated to date. An effective measurement of flow experiences during computer game play is essential to study how a flow state can be induced. It will assist game designers in understanding the strength and flaw of the game from a player's perspective. This article reports on the development of an instrument measuring all flow elements in computer game play, based on the flow theory, and following a rigorous method introduced by Moore and Benbasat (1991). The results show that the validity and reliability of the instrument are satisfactory. This instrument will help information systems researchers further investigate how to apply flow theory in computer games to improve enjoyment and thus game design. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.