Tracking Flow in Real Time: Continuous Measurement of Game-Induced Flow in Virtual Reality

Flow experience is characterized by becoming deeply absorbed in a task, by losing track of time, and diminished self-awareness. Psychological flow research typically involves the qualitative or quantitative assessment of flow states after the experience with questionnaires. This approach is limited, as post-task reports provide an overall assessment of the whole experience, but lack the temporal resolution required to analyse together with psychophysiological data and fail to capture flow as it unfolds in real time. We introduce a novel method that enables the continuous and real-time subjective measurement of flow. Forty participants indicated their perceived degree of flow by pressing a custom-made foot pedal (i.e., real-time report) while they engaged in a flow-inducing activity (i.e., playing the video game Thumper in virtual reality). They played the game under two conditions, one with the pedal and one without, while electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were recorded. After each condition, participants completed the validated Flow Short Scale (FSS) as a post-task report. Results support the hypotheses that interacting with the pedal did not interfere with: (a) participants' flow experience as measured with the FSS, (b) heart-rate variability (HRV), and (c) the pedal provided a reliable self-assessment of flow, as indicated by the correlation between real-time and post-task flow ratings. HRV analyses revealed evidence for associations between the high-frequency (HF)-HRV, the low-frequency (LF)/HF ratio, and perceived flow, suggesting that parasympathetic activity and autonomic balance may play a role in the flow experience. In conclusion, this proposed novel empirical method enables assessment of the temporal evolution of a perceived flow experience and its potential links to psychophysiological indicators extending beyond HRV.