Against Flow

A critical discussion of the experience and theory of flow (as conceptualized by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) in video games.

Flow--as conceptualized by the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi--describes an experience of "being in the zone," of intense absorption in an activity. It is a central concept in the study of video games, although often applied somewhat uncritically. In Against Flow, Braxton Soderman takes a step back and offers a critical assessment of flow's historical, theoretical, political, and ideological contexts in relation to video games. With close readings of games that implement and represent flow, Soderman not only evaluates the concept of flow in terms of video games but also presents a general critique of flow and its sibling, play.Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 An Introduction to the Ideology of Flow 27
2 Flow, Alienation, and the Politics of Enjoyment 65
3 Streams of Consumption: Video Games and Televisual Flow 103
4 Flow, Play, and Critical Distance 139
5 Playfulness Untamed: Innovation, Play, and Flow in Independent
Games 175
Conclusion: The Critical Futures of Flow 211
Notes 243
References 273
Index 305“Through an investigation of video games, Against Flow moves us toward critique and collective to help us escape flow’s draining manipulation. Soderman’s book offers the most sustained and compelling critique of flow written to date.”
—Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media, Simon Fraser University; author of Updating to Remain the Same
 
“Soderman’s scholarly, historically informed, and provocative account of flow in video games is required reading for those in game studies or interested in consumer-driven media culture. Highly recommended!”
—Jay David Bolter, Wesley Chair of New Media, Georgia Institute of Technology; author of The Digital PlenitudeBraxton Soderman is Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies in the School of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine.