Association of Flow Experience to Psychological Computer Game Dependency

Abstract

The paper presents a study of association between flow experience arising within computer games and Internet dependency. Theoretical analysis undertaken by the authors indicates that despite partial similarity between the concepts of Internet dependency and flow experience (e.g., both involve repeated behaviour), they have different psychological meaning. The notion of Internet dependency, apart from psychological characteristics of the respective phenomenon, refers to current social norms. Flow experience, in turn, is associated with subjectivity and personal choice. An empirical study of 1574 computer gamers from China indicates that Internet dependency and flow experience within computer games are not directly associated: their association depends on current social norms, as well as gamers’ age, gender, and intrinsic motivation.