I have found that I am not really much of a gamer. The assignment was to play a video game for an hour and examine it for elements of flow. Flow being the feeling of time standing still, enjoyment and relaxation as you become involved with the activity you are doing. The desire to improve your score or level you are on, there is a direct outcome to what you are playing. Well.....I just didn't get there with any that I tried. Maybe I was just playing the wrong game, I have several students that would say I need to play Minecraft because it is the greatest game ever and has educational value. I looked at it but didn't want to invest money to complete this assignment.
I remember playing PacMan and Asteroids when I was a teen, could have played those for ever. Not so long ago I was a little addicted to Farmville, well really just felt I had an obligation to harvest and care for the animals, didn't want to see it all die. I could also play Jewel Master for quite some time. My own kids played Math Blaster, Operation Neptune and Treasure Mountain for hours and then when in junior high got hooked on The Sims.
I tried to play Zombie Trailer Park but it was just too bloody. Tommy Q Zombie Defender was OK but I was bored after about 20 minutes. I also played Dance Mat Typing, entertaining but the voices got a little annoying after about 15 minutes. I tried to play word games on dictionary.com but I had flash player issues.
I can understand how you can get in a zone while playing a game that catches your interest and provides a challenge, I can do the same thing when I am working on an art project and especially when reading a good book. It is a great feeling when you are doing something you enjoy and are good at. I can find something kind of resembling flow when I am Christmas shopping online, Amazon.com is my shopping addiction.
But overall I just don't really like video games much, there are so many other things I would rather be doing.
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