4 ms·

I disagree that these flow states are difficult to generate. While they are extremely more common within designed experiences (such as video games), they can a

• kerbalspacepro 10y ago
  What I'm saying is that 'common' tasks that generate flow states take much longer than video games to generate the same cognitive effect. For example, when I play guitar I _must_ deliberately practice. I play the same 30 second melody half as slow, then only a quarter slow, and then finally i try really hard to play it at the right rhythm, and after a little more practice I'm playing it mechanically. I now can enter a flow state much easier. Looking at your link- I start out with low skill, but with something that has high difficulty. I wratchet my skill upwards until I enter flow state. Video games, on the other hand, use dynamic difficulty settings to change the difficulty to my skill. They generate the flow state programmatically. Nice article though.
• Malician 10y ago
  I've never been able to replicate the flow states I used to have from Starcraft/Civilization elsewhere (I've played very few games in the last couple years.) I don't miss the time spent playing them, but my life is much emptier without them. Sort of exception is when everything breaks down at once and I have a ton of stuff to fix/do in emergency style. That's comforting.