Flow theory in the interactive design of educational games

Abstract

This article presents a design of a VR based game in fire safety training for the elderly by adopting flow theory. As physical learning is difficult for the elderly, how to train for fire safety ability has become an important issue in contemporary society. A flow theory describes an optimal experience through which users can experience immersion benefiting education and learning settings. The key to designing a VR game with flow experience relies on the design principles of the flow theory, which includes sense of control, goals and challenge levels. Based on three elements of VR game interaction design (UI design, manipulation and aesthetics), this study focuses on the design of a VR game to train the elderly for fire safety skills. It adopts flow theory to enhance engagement and reduce memory burden during the training. We found that VR game design using flow theory can effectively facilitate the positive results from the fire safety skills training. Meanwhile, flow theory can also be used as a method to evaluate the user experience of VR game designs. This study will help to improve the design of VR games.