Monday, May 25, 2015

Hypothesis of Flow from Games to Life Problem Solving

Hypothesis.
I guess gaming is the first and early experience of Flow  for a young mind. Since games give a framework for problems it is possible to frame problems using games but then deviate to more practical life and professional skills from the earlier games. I think for me life changed when I achieved flow solving games and then using the same tools to solve life and work problems.

I've noticed that I've deviated a lot in my gaming topics and it has become a coping mechanism for me. So much so that its all I think about with what little attention I have left. Its one of the few things I can muster all my dwindling mental resources on.

The thing about flow is that there has to be enough challenge, frustration, and reward in the experience. That it takes a lot of work to achieve it, and once achieved (like an addiction) it becomes something sought after and we get better at with practice. Its on of the few states of human nature where I cannot be satisfied with status quo and don't mind the work involved.

Other than Entertainment, a greater sense of Agency and the able to deal with the limitation of Agency, Flow is an objective in how I game and GM. That I can work towards flow and be able to recreate flow in my players as well give them the environment to make a framework they can use in other aspects of their lives. 

how we learn by Professor Monisha Pasupathi
art of critical decision making by Michael Roberto

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