How Can Young Gamers Find Their Flow?

Flow State has a host of cool features to unlock such as: time seeming to pass quickly, and individuals experiencing a sense of effortless control and deep enjoyment. Getting into the flow of things is a mental state of complete absorption and focus in an activity. It was first described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his seminal work "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience." Just like in sports, art, and music creation, achieving flow in gaming involves a deep sense of concentration, enjoyment, and a feeling of being "in the zone." In young kids, flow state might look like an afternoon spent putting together a puzzle. Celebrating the wins of matching pieces is much like the flow state that can be found through digital gaming.

For kids, one of the most rewarding parts of gaming can be the achievements games unlock along the way—whether that’s medals, trophies or tools to play on. The strategic thinking applied when gaming combined with these frequent rewards is a great way to get flow state started. Not only that, but the problem solving in games is often transferable to everyday living and helps to get kids thinking about larger issues in smaller, more digestible chunks and may also encourage decision-making surrounding others and public spaces that could impact the environment the digital world provides.

We’ve learned a few steps that can go into finding flow in gaming. The player needs to find the level or play just challenging enough that it seems completable without the disheartening frustration from taking on a task that’s too hard. The feeling that you’re looking for is a sense of “optimal challenge.” Receiving small rewards or indication you’re getting closer to a larger goal will drive players to focus deeper on the little wins and trigger a bunch of sensors to tell you now is the time to focus more than ever. By mentally structuring tasks one...