Analysis of Flow in Emotionally-oriented Games

This paper explores the role of flow theory in emotionally-oriented games, and analyzes its impact on game design and user experience. According to flow theory, players enter a state of flow during play, marked by control, emotional depth, skill challenge, clear goals, and immediate feedback. The study designed a hypothetical game, Tidal Emotional Chaos, to induce flow through empathy and mechanics. Due to the early design phase, data was collected through a questionnaire of the player's expected flow effects. The results show that players often experience flow in emotional games, especially immersion and skill challenges. However, some reports lack immediate feedback and self-awareness, indicating the need for improved design. Emotional resonance and storytelling are popular, but user interfaces and feedback can be more effective. In conclusion, while emotionally oriented games are effective at providing flow and emotional experiences, there is still room for improvement, especially in terms of immediate feedback and user interface design, to further improve the gaming experience for players.