How to get into flow for gaming
Flow is well known for being that mental state where you are completely immersed in your activity and performing at your best, while enjoying it. As a gamer, you have likely experienced this yourself, and it is often accompanied by the ability to dominate the game. Furthermore, our research at MaddCog has shown that on average, a League of Legends player will win 13% more games when in deep flow.
So, flow is obviously good for your gaming performance, but how do you achieve it?
Unfortunately, this is a difficult question to answer. If it were as simple as flicking a switch, everyone would do it on demand. While difficult, we can look at what has been done in other areas to help achieve flow, and what might be applicable to gaming.
Background
Flow state was first researched and popularized by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. To summarize Csíkszentmihályi from a 2004 presentation, there are three key attributes of flow:
- When you are in deep flow, you are happy and enjoying it, as well as performing at your best
- Being in this state allows you to achieve difficult tasks such as learning a new skill or beating a personal best
- Flow state doesn’t just happen. It requires some planning and effort.
While the first two points highlight the benefits, it is the third point that is really the key. This shows that there are things you can do to increase your chance of reaching deep flow. Let’s have a look at a few of these things and how they apply to you as a gamer.
Create a routine
The most important action you can take to increase your chance of achieving flow, is to follow a pre-game routine. The aim of this routine is to empty your mind, relax and to trigger yourself to get in the right mindset. A successful routine allows for easy repetition so that you can achieve flow more successfully when you need to.
What you do in this pre-game routine is up to you. Different things work for each player, and it may take some trial and error to get it right. Some common activities to try are meditation, laying down listening to music, or going for a walk to help clear your mind. Others find that sitting down and reading while having a cup of tea or coffee help. There is no right or wrong here. You need to find what works for you.
This routine is like a door to your performance mindset. Once you go through this routine, you arrive on the other side ready to perform your best.
We try and facilitate this in the MaddCog app by allowing you to enter preparation tags, such as ‘meditate’. Enter what you did before playing, and you will then get a report on each of these tags so you can learn which ones work best for you.
Don’t play tired or angry
What more is there to say?
We all know that we often play poorly when we are tired or angry. But after you have a frustrating game, it is so tempting to just play one more. Don’t. These are the scenarios where self-control will help you avoid an unnecessary loss. You want achieve flow when frustrated.
Identify when you play best
Are you an early bird or a night owl? We all operate differently throughout the day. Generic circadian rhythm research shows high mental performance in the morning, an afternoon slump, before another increase in the early evening. There are personal variations of this, but this provides a good starting point when considering when we might play our best.
Personally, I am an early bird, I like to get up early and start the day. The screen shot below is from the MaddCog mobile app. The graph shows my win rate and flow based on time of day. I have played 712 games so that is a good sample size across the day to make some decisions. We can see that win rate and flow are both highest in the morning. They then nosedive in the early afternoon. This clearly supports my feeling of being an early bird, as it shows I perform best in the morning.
Find when you play best and schedule your ranked games at those times.
Get the environment right
You need an environment where you can become completely consumed in your game. That means nobody and nothing distracting you. If there are other people or noises around, put on your headphones.
It isn’t just external distractions you need to avoid either. Internal distractions can be just as unsettling, or even worse. Take the scenario where you have just had an argument with a friend or loved one. You may be sitting down alone to play, but the argument keeps repeating in your head. You are not going to play well as you are pre-occupied. This is where establishing a routine is important. You might be able to lay down and listen to music for 10 minutes, or meditate, to clear your mind.
Getting the environment right is more than just avoiding distraction. You also need to ensure you have a good temperature and lighting, and most importantly, you are comfortable.
Practice and Experiment
You won’t always achieve that deep flow you are after. That is to be expected, but don’t give up. The reason you are a good gamer is because you practiced, and achieving flow is the same. Keep at it; keep practicing while also observing what works for you and what doesn’t. Try different routines and see the impact they have. What works for you won’t be the same as what works for your friend, everyone is different.
A great way to experiment is in unranked games which you can use to test what works for you.
Conclusion
Flow isn’t something you can just switch on, but hopefully this article has shown you that there are steps you can take to increase your chance of getting into flow. And remember to keep trying until you find that perfect mix for you. The results will be worth it.
