Prospects for the development of educational computer games in the context of the theory of the "state of flow" by M. Csikszentmihalyi

Khasieva Mariya Alanovna ORCID: 0000-0002-0179-1874 PhD in Philosophy Associate Professor; Department 917 'Philosophy'; Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education 'Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University)' 4 Volokolamsk Highway, Moscow, 125993, Russia m9288@inbox.ru Other publications by this author

Currently, information technologies in education are developing rapidly, and the scope of their use is increasingly expanding. New digital technologies that were created for use in other fields are increasingly spreading in the field of education. ^[3] For example, blockchain technologies involving decentralized network data storage and originally developed as the technological basis of cryptocurrency are planned to be used to compile and store student portfolios, term papers, and theses, which should ensure the maximum possible data storage security and transparency of organizational processes in education. Among the most relevant new technologies used in the educational process are virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies, educational video games, and simulators. The key feature of mixed reality is the real interaction of real and virtual objects in real time, the transfer of the relative location of objects of the digital and physical world, the possibility of influencing virtual objects in a physical way. When studying the humanities, mixed reality technologies can be used, first of all, to get acquainted with virtual models of works of art, objects of historical and cultural heritage, virtual visits to museums and reconstruction of historical events. ^[16]

The tradition of understanding learning as a game process goes far beyond the computer game industry. An example of a study interpreting the activities and behavior of people, culture in the most general sense of the word as a game process, is the treatise by J. Huising's "Homo ludens". Huizinga, in his analysis of the game, notes that the gameplay is observed not only in the human world, but also in animals: he emphasizes the redundancy, the superfunctionality of mating games, noting that animal games are more serious than most human games. The classification of games presented by Huizinga includes competitive games, single-player games (for example, solitaire) and gambling. Huizinga also writes about the draw game, the imitation game, and the pretense. One of the main ideas of the book was the juxtaposition of play as entertainment without application and serious activity as having utilitarian functions. According to Huizinga, the mixing of these attitudes in people's activities (professionalization of gaming activities, changing ideas about "fair play" as the exact observance of rituals) in 20th century society leads to the exhaustion of the gaming content of culture itself and threatens its extinction and decline in the future. ^[12]

Among modern game theories, there are a wide variety of definitions of the essence of the game. The most common understanding of the game involves its perception as a tool of socialization, preparation for adulthood. ^[2] In L.S. Vygotsky's research, the game is defined not through the category of pleasure, but as a mechanism for the development of abstract thinking, the ability to think creatively, because the game, as a rule, involves building imaginary worlds based on the surrounding reality.^[6]

Depending on the species of the game, its interpretative perspective changes. Gambling appeals to ideas about chance, fate, competitive games — to ideas about life as a struggle and the need to win, to demonstrate strength, imitative games — to ideas about learning. ^[5] When analyzing games, they most often talk about their abilities to develop skills of identification and rallying people (in team games), the development of imagination and fantasy, psychological relief, but the potential of educational games is far from limited to this, including the development of regulatory functions, emotional intelligence ^[13].

Another well-known representative of game theory is Brian Sutton-Smith, known for his book "The Ambiguity of the Game". In contrast to the well-established opposition of the concepts of "work" and "play", Sutton-Smith believes that the workflow, as a rule, carries elements of the game, takes on a playful character. ^[18] In fact, the separation of work and gaming activities by the semantic vector entertainment — seriousness is obviously not quite correct, since the workflow may contain elements of gaming activity, and the game itself may be perceived by society as work and serious occupation, rather than a way of spending leisure time (as an example, the process of professionalization gaming industry).

The use of computer games in education has historically been associated with the general process of digitalization of the educational and information environment ^[7,9] and has been practiced since the 70s and 80s, but in recent decades it has been updated taking into account the developing technologies of virtual, augmented and mixed reality, artificial neural networks and neurocomputer interface. Currently, the whole set of games, the goals of which go beyond entertainment and are related to learning, training, and skill development, are called "serious games". Serious games also include games used in teaching school and university subjects.

The first educational video games appeared back in the 70s-80s of the XX century, for example, the game ”Dread Dragon Droom”, developed by the British company Hummec, was widely used in UK schools in the 1980s and consisted of riddles and tasks on British history. In the modern gaming industry, the potential of educational video games is much wider than in the 80s: the most innovative educational game developments are currently associated with the integration of augmented and mixed reality technologies.^[8]

Computer gamification nowadays extends to a wide variety of disciplines, including humanities and engineering. A striking example of the development and use of the game in training is Minecraft Education Edition, which is successfully used to train future architects and urban planners. One of the most significant issues in computer gamification of education remains the question of criteria for the methodology of development and evaluation of computer games, including optimization of their game mechanics, game structure and forms of integration of players into the gaming space, taking into account their specifics, goals and main educational purpose. At the same time, many studies show that serious games are not used as actively in humanitarian education as in other fields of study. At the same time, the potential of using educational games in humanitarian education has increased in recent decades in the context of the development of innovative technologies of virtual, augmented and mixed reality, the improvement of computer graphics and the development of 3D visualization technologies, because when studying humanities, visualization and historical reconstruction capabilities are very important. ^[19]

One of the most significant aspects of computer gamification of education and the development of the educational games industry is the question of the possibilities, advantages and disadvantages of educational computer games compared to other types of educational materials. The main objectives of computer games in education are to increase the motivation and involvement of students in the educational process, improve the quality of education, and optimize communication between students and the teacher. Currently, a large number of studies have already been written on the mechanisms of motivation of students in serious computer games. ^{[15, 17, 23]} There are several features of computer games compared to other types of educational materials. First of all, the interactive nature of computer games makes it possible for students to actively participate in the learning process. In addition, computer games can be used to simulate tasks in such a way that their execution in the game involves the same cognitive functions as in the real world (this applies primarily to educational simulators). ^[22] Immediate feedback in an online format gives students an idea of the correctness of their answers, decisions and actions, which allows them to quickly correct their answers, analyze and correct mistakes. Educational computer games embody models of situational and empirical learning, convincingly modeling the reality of life and offering to solve practical problems using visually visualized examples, while educational games are rarely used as an autonomous training course, usually combining them with other forms and methods of teaching. One of the main advantages of simulators is that they give the opportunity to make mistakes, which is of great importance for the psycho-emotional state of the student and his perception of the learning process as a whole: the absence of fear of error makes learning much more constructive and effective. ^[15]

Of course, the effectiveness of educational games largely depends on the individual characteristics of the student's personality, the level of development of his social intelligence, his experience in educational and entertaining gameplay, his academic performance in the subject. Thus, studies reveal that during gamified learning, players behaved differently in the game process, demonstrating a very characteristic statistical picture: students with higher academic performance more often resorted to traditional sources of educational information (textbooks, scientific articles and encyclopedias) to solve tasks in a computer game, while students with below-average academic performance preferred to look for clues in the game itself, for example, in a conversation with non-player characters or in offline mode, we sought help from other students. ^[14]

A separate problem investigated in game theory remains the question of determining the skills whose development is facilitated by the use of educational games. Among the skills and abilities that are most effectively formed with the help of computer games, they are usually called:

- the ability to make quick and effective decisions in time-limited situations;

- multiplayer games contribute to the formation of skills of cooperation and teamwork, including the ability to clearly assign tasks, effective communication and the ability to compromise;

- the skill of maintaining attention and perseverance in solving certain tasks;

- the ability to empathize and increase the level of emotional intelligence. This is especially true for games specifically aimed at developing the ability to recognize people's emotions by facial expressions and non-verbal behavior. An example of such games is the game "Crystals of Kaidor", developed by American psychologists from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and designed for children of early adolescence. In addition, role-playing computer games and life simulators are aimed at modeling the lives of other people, experiencing someone else's experience, sometimes very different from their own. When used specifically, such simulators can develop the ability to understand the feelings and thoughts of people around them. Educational computer games are increasingly being used in inclusive education ^[17]

Games in the field of humanities education can be divided into three types: historical reconstruction, cultural representation and virtual museum, while the genres of historical reconstruction and virtual museum are more widespread. ^[17] Cultural representation is a genre of games that represent a stylized narrative based, as a rule, on a certain literary, often folklore work of a certain culture, during which cultural traditions, customs, and history are revealed. An example of a cultural demonstration is the m-MyTale mobile game based on the ancient Malaysian fairy tale "The Princess of Mount Ledang".

Modern educational computer games in the humanities are represented by such examples as "Ako: A Test of Loyalty". The game was developed in 2020 by students of the University of Texas at Austin and is a kind of interactive novel dedicated to the story of the retribution of the forty-seven Ronin, which took place in 1703 in the Japanese city of Aku. The plot of the game is built on behalf of the main character, a young samurai, and tells about the history of Japan before, during and after the events in Ako. The game is characterized by high historical accuracy and is replete with visualized and theoretical information about the history and culture of Japan. Another example of an educational computer game used in the humanities is the game "Underdepth", developed by students of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a combination of the courses "Poetic Stylistics" and "Script Writing and Game Development". This game, which is a quest with alternative endings, integrates elements of rangi, a genre of ancient Japanese poetry that represents joint poetic creativity.

At the end of the XX century, M. Csikszentmihalyi's theory of the flow state became famous, revealing the mechanisms of motivation of human activity in a new way. By the state of flow, the researcher understands the highest involvement of a person in a certain activity (work, play, creative, etc.), which is accompanied by a feeling of freedom, joy, a sense of satisfaction with his occupation and implies the ability to ignore physiological needs for food, sleep, etc. ^[1]

When Csikszentmihalyi defines the origins of the mechanisms for achieving the "flow state", he writes about the "autotelic" human activity, which is valuable to people because of their personal experiences and attitudes and makes sense to them already in the process itself, and not as a result. Such activities are most capable of immersing people in a state of flow. He calls exothelic activity performed solely for external reasons. At the same time, the thinker notes that "most of our activities cannot be considered purely autotelic or exothelic, they contain both those and other features." ^{[10, p. 82]}

Reflecting on what factors make activity autotelic, that is, they introduce a person into a "state of flow", Csikszentmihalyi notes the traditional and ingrained opposition in human culture to work as a painful and unpleasant type of pastime, and games associated in culture with a pleasant pastime, entertainment and recreation, despite the fact that in the process of various People also spend energy playing games and experience intellectual, emotional and physiological stress. ^[10]

Exploring the nature of the "flow state", Csikszentmihalyi points out that even in the most archaic and primitive forms of human activity there are game elements. At the same time, Csikszentmihalyi processually interprets the competitive aspect of the game: a competitive game, in his opinion, brings participants the greatest pleasure when their attention is completely absorbed in the game process, and not when victory has already been achieved. ^[11]

Csikszentmihalyi also formulates the concept of an "autotelic personality type", defining people who are most capable of achieving a "state of flow" in their activities, no matter which one, since the distinguishing feature of this type of personality is the ability to construct meaning and give meaning to any activity, even the most monotonous, difficult and uninteresting.^[4]

Later, in research on the problem of engaging in computer games and enjoying games, a "game flow" model was formulated, which included parameters such as concentration, challenge, skills, control, clear goals, feedback, immersion and social interaction. ^[20] It is the combination of these elements that ultimately causes a state of increased engagement, interest, the level of which determines the degree of satisfaction with the game. ^[21] Educational games in this aspect are aimed at the same goals as entertainment: the most valuable thing in the game is the involvement of the student in the gaming and educational process.

One of the adherents of the concept of game flow in the computer game industry, Chinese game designer Genova Chen embodied his ideas about techniques for achieving a flow state in a game called ”Flow”, simple in design, but characterized by the use of technology for dynamically adjusting the complexity of the game. This meant that there was an automatic adjustment of the complexity parameters and game scenarios based on an analysis of the behavior of a particular person in the gameplay. At the same time, the player had the option to make a decision on his own to move to the next level of difficulty, rather than having to obey a predefined universal algorithm for increasing difficulty. This should have led to the fact that the player would constantly be in the "flow state" zone and would not feel either boredom or disappointment during the game, when performing tasks that are too complex or too simple, respectively. ^[15]

In general, the main research devoted to optimizing game design and game mechanics is aimed at building an autolytic model of participation in the game: the game process itself and the emotions it receives when performing game tasks, rather than its achievements and the very fact of passing the game, as provided, for example, in such a model, are of paramount importance for the player in such a model. As part of PBL gamification, one of the most common models of player integration into the gameplay, involving the use of game mechanics such as scores, or points, achievement signs and leaderboards in the game. In general, PBL gamification can be defined as traditional, focused more on developing the player's desire to get a result, that is, to complete the game completely or set a record in the game. An alternative and less standard model of gamification is process-oriented gamification, that is, ensuring the greatest interest and pleasure in the process of the game itself. As technological capabilities develop, players are increasingly attracted to realistic and beautiful computer graphics, a well-thought-out and exciting scenario, the opportunity to show creativity and independence in the process of completing tasks. For educational games, to the same extent as for entertainment, the non-linearity of the plot, the possibility of alternative choices and non-standard, creative solutions to tasks will be important.

The authenticity of the image of game reality is of particular importance in educational games. For example, for games aimed at studying history and culture, as well as regional studies, this primarily concerns the historical authenticity of the depicted events, elements of culture, and everyday life. In this regard, new game mechanics are of great importance in such games. For example, the mechanics of time loops, which allow players to experience the same experience repeatedly, over and over again, while the information and achievements obtained in previous cycles of the game are preserved and allow them to work out the tasks already considered and solved in a new way. If in the usual traditional mechanics the player returns to the beginning of the game only in case of failure, while the gameplay is reset to the previous level, in games with time loop mechanics, the games themselves represent a cycle, each repetition of which reveals in a new way the ways to achieve the overall goal of the game. ^[14]

In general, the formation of motivation in the gameplay is determined by two types of stimuli: external stimuli, such as a set of points, ratings and leaderboards, and internal stimuli, such as the emotions of the player, his interest in interacting with the game space. In the teaching of M. Csikszentmihalyi, two circles of factors are also distinguished that can influence the achievement of a state of flow, that is, the formation of the level of involvement in the occupation — objective factors (these include the neurophysiological characteristics of specific people manifested in their activities, as well as concomitant circumstances and the specifics of the activity itself) and subjective factors, which include personal characteristics, the character and inner attitude of the person himself. The concept of Csikszentmihalyi also correlates in many ways with the theory of external and internal motivation of human activity. While extrinsic motivation (for example, the desire to get a good grade or financial reward) leads only to the fulfillment of the necessary minimum to achieve an external goal, intrinsic motivation presupposes a genuine interest of the student in the material being studied and leads to the continuation of his work even with the disappearance of external stimuli. In the teaching of Csikszentmihalyi, the "state of flow" is generated by focusing on internal motivational factors of activity, building meaning in the procedural aspect, and not focusing on results. At the same time, the process of meaning-setting is precisely a game, entertainment, and not a serious activity.

Thus, in the course of reviewing modern research in the field of computer gamification of learning, it is revealed that the general methodological orientation of modern gemdesign of educational games corresponds to the main theses of M. Csikszentmihalyi's theory about the game nature of the "flow state", since one of the most valuable opportunities for using computer games in learning is associated with increasing the student's involvement in the learning process and the formation of his internal motivation to learning. It is with this goal in mind that the game mechanics of modern educational games are designed.

The use of computer games in humanitarian education is becoming relevant due to the spread of new technologies of virtual, augmented and mixed reality, the improvement of computer graphics and the development of 3D visualization technologies, which provide valuable opportunities to get acquainted with virtual models of works of art, objects of historical and cultural heritage, virtual visits to museums and reconstruction of historical events. In modern educational games, the use of innovative game mechanics is becoming more important, complementing and enriching the traditional model of PBL gamification and allowing for the greatest human involvement in the process of playing and learning.

The concept of "game flow" in game development, which originated under the influence of the theory of the "state of flow" by M. Csikszentmihalyi, correlates with the criteria of internal motivation of human activity and assumes as its goal the achievement of the highest immersiveness of the game. This is exactly what modern game development technologies are aimed at, such as dynamic adjustment of the complexity of the game. Such technologies are capable of creating a high level of engagement and motivation in the gameplay and have a high potential for use in educational games.

Modern game mechanics and game design technologies are aimed at developing an individualized non-linear plot, the possibility of free choice and non-standard, creative solutions to tasks. The technologies used make it possible to create free space in the game for the construction of meanings, independent choice and implementation of the player. This corresponds to the model of autotelic activity presented in the works of M. Csikszentmihalyi, which assumes creative sense-setting, finding a goal in its very process. The use of educational games designed in accordance with new approaches of game design can contribute to the formation of an immersive educational environment, significantly increasing the effectiveness of learning.