Flow experience as a quality measure in evaluating physically activating serious games

Abstract

The measurement of the subjective playing experience is important part of the game development process. The enjoyment level that a serious game offers is a key factor in determining whether the player will be engaged in the gameplay and achieve the objectives of the game. In this paper the usefulness of flow experience in evaluating the quality of physically activating problem-solving game was studied. The aim of the paper is to explore to what extend the flow experience can facilitate the game evaluation and design process. In the study 53 junior high school students played a cooperative exergame designed to teach collaboration and communication skills. Students’ playing experience was measured with a flow questionnaire and playing behavior was also observed. In general, the results indicated that the measurement of the flow experience can reveal shortages of the game and that way aid the design process. However, although the level of flow tells about the overall quality of the playing experience, the flow measurements needs to be extended with other aspects in order to be able to evaluate the implementation of the game more deeply.