Do game transfer phenomena lead to flow? An investigation of in-game and out-game immersion among MOBA gamers

Abstract

Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), the most popular video game genre, has increased in terms of the number of users online. This increase in popularity depicts the in-game immersion in MOBA games, which determines Flow experience. Despite its popularity, there is a dearth of research on the cause of immersion of MOBA games. This study hypothesized that players acquired automatic thoughts, actions, and sensations about the game even when not playing, identified as Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP), causing Flow. Forty-five (45) college students were recruited to play MOBA games for 20 ​h in one week, referred to as immersive gaming in this study. Flow state scale and GTP scale were administered twice before and after immersive gaming. Pretest and posttest comparisons showed no difference in the Flow and GTP. On the other hand, the cross-lagged analysis shows that GTP causes Flow among MOBA gamers. Players with a high level of GTP experience more intensive levels of Flow. The implications of the development of Flow are discussed in the study.

Keywords

• Flow theory
• GTP
• MOBA game
• Cross-lagged panel design