A Study to Investigate the Relationship Among Flow, Social Interaction and ICT Skills with Older Adults During Gameplay

Abstract

Although research shows the link between flow and social interaction, this study explores the role of ICT skills in order to experience flow and social interaction. I used constructivism theory as it explains how humans make meaning from personal experiences, social interaction and tools (e.g., language and computer). The theory of flow was applied because it stipulates that people experience flow when they are fully engaged in any activity (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi 2002). Four participants were recruited for this study. A pilot study with three stages was conducted to design a research protocol used in the main study. A pre and post-test was answered to determine the significance of ICT skills in relation to the experience of flow and social interaction during gameplay experience. I described the experiences of each participant using a case study approach and all the participants reported flow and social interaction in relation to their level ICT skills. I found that the participant with low ICT score required more social interaction to experience flow and participants with high ICT score required social interaction to maintain flow.