Halo & Flow
I remember standing outside EB Games on November 9th, 2004. It was only minutes before I would have the coveted copy of Halo 2 in my hands. Having been a tremendous fan of the first Halo installment, I had been anxiously awaiting Halo 2 for months. So when the morning finally came that I got to play my copy on my Xbox, I became lost in the game and its environment.
For me, Halo 2 produced an automatic world of flow. This is mainly because I enjoy First person shooters and had played the original Halo more than any game in my lifetime. I think the online portion of the game puts the player in the highest state of flow because it pits you against leveled and organized competition. You are able to talk to your opponent and harass them through a voice-activated system. You can encourage your teammates when they do something productive and chastise them when they make a mistake. When I fist put the game in, my friends and I created a clan that to battle online against as a team. Once Team Slayer on Lockout popped up, I was thrown into a new reality. My reality was no longer confined to the parameters of my room, but extended to the snowy walls of lockout. This was it; it was what we had been waiting for. Red Team, that was us, vs. the blue team. I had been researching the game for quite some time, so I knew where every nook and cranny was. I quickly grabbed the plasma sword and a battle rifle and met up with my team above the sniper tower. I handled some enemies on the way and before I knew it, it was tied 45-45. At this point, I was totally enthralled in the game and its environment. I sniped a member of the red team at the portal but was assassinated in the back. Three kills later, it was 49-49. We bombarded the shotgun room with grenades and fired one final pistol shot. Game, 50-49, red team. As we entered the post-game lobby, we shouted taunts to celebrate the epic victory. After hours of playing I turned the game off and suddenly, I was back in my room, away from the confinements of the Halo world. I had experienced a flow like none other. I was so totally engrossed in the game of Halo, that I had completely lost track of time, area, and self. I had achieved an ordered state of mind in the game that was particularly enjoyable.
The game resembles much of an Agon class of flow because it boasts competition as its main feature through games of slayer, king of the hill, assault, and capture the flag. In the game, I felt that I was indeed part of an actual team and that winning solidified our survival in this new universe. When the game was on the line, I was pushed to a higher level of performance, and led to “previously undreamed-of states of consciousness.” As I advanced my online ranking in the game, I was forced to push myself even more to battle and keep up with those around me. Thne game basically felt like a seperate world i would go to battle in and then come back to my world that I call reality. I think my level of flow was so high because I had played the original Halo, so I was already familiar with the environment. I have friends who do not experience such flow because it is their first time playing and they do not have the skills to compete and have fun. After playing sometime though, people will develop an obsession with the level of competition and want to keep getting better and better.