Procedure

The following picture shows the process of the measurement. Since there is no mimic recognition, it is possible to dispense with recording the player and the data. However, the flow detection can only take place via the data collected with the "Video Analyzer" program.

Preparatory phase

In the first phase, some information is requested from the subject in order to be able to classify the test subjects. The following questions were asked during the development phase of the system:

• Which gender do you belong to?
• Appreciate your experience with computer games!
• How much time do you spend playing computer games a week?
• How far are you familiar with the genre?
• How far are you familiar with the game?

Recording phase

The player plays a game and is recorded for the automatic flow measurement by a camera, in addition to the "Lightstone" heart rate and skin resistance are stored. For the later manual flow measurement, the game is recorded. In this phase, it is important that the player can play the game undisturbed, so that no external influences falsify the measurement results.

Immediately after the game, the subject is asked about the estimated playing time.

Evaluation phase

After all data is available, the manual flow measurement can now be started. For this purpose, the participant will be shown the newly recorded game with the program "Video Analyzer". While the subject watches his game, the video is interrupted every minute so that four questions about the subject's sensation can be answered. Then the video continues until the end of the recording.

Analysis Phase

The evaluation of the data takes place in the program "Flow Player". Here all recorded data as well as the monthly evaluation are brought together and synchronized. Subsequently, the graphical evaluation of the flow can be considered. This flow evaluation currently only applies to the manually entered data, as no complete automatic detection can be performed due to the lack of facial recognition.