Empirically comparing flow, narrative engagement, and enjoyment as responses to a computer game

ABSTRACT

The psychological states of flow and transportation or narrative engagement are conceptually similar. Both are described as immersive, emotional states that lead to enjoyment or other similar outcomes. Despite similarities between flow and narrative engagement, limited research examines their empirical relationship, while also considering their relationship to enjoyment. This project evaluated the viability of measuring flow, narrative engagement, and enjoyment simultaneously, with results suggesting that the concepts may not be statistically distinct, particularly flow and narrative engagement – as they were nearly perfectly correlated in two game-based experiments.

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication.

Notes

¹ Busselle and Bilandzic (2009) introduced the concept of narrative engagement, in part, as an updating of the concept transportation, following research critical of the common operationalization of transportation (e.g., e.g., Oliver et al., 2012; Slater et al., 2006). Although researchers have attempted to distinguish the two concepts, those distinctions are largely semantic, and one goal of this project is to evaluate the viability of those distinctions (see below). For the ease of the reader, the current manuscript often defaults to the single term “transportation,” with some noted and identified exceptions.

² Transportation and flow are only two of a number of conceptual states that have been discussed in terms of engagement with and immersion in media (e.g., presence, absorption, engagement, involvement). Building on the narrative and gameplay distinction, however, transportation and flow may be the most centrally important concepts to understanding computer game meaning and value.

³ Busselle and Bilandzic (2009) divide narrative engagement into four sub-dimensions. Attentional focus and narrative presence are similar to Green and Brock's (2000) concept of attention, emotional engagement is similar to Green and Brock's (2000) concept of emotion, and narrative understanding is similar to Green and Brock's (2000) concept of imagery. Similar to the argument made here, Busselle and Bilandzic (2009, p. 325) argue that the narrative understanding/imagery component of narrative engagement/transportation distinguishes this concept from flow.

⁴ This procedure requires outfitting participants with a pager or other electronic reminder device. This device will activate at specified times throughout the day, reminding the participants to fill out a questionnaire assessing their level of flow at that time (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication.