Tracking Flow in Real Time: Continuous Measurement of Game-Induced Flow in Virtual Reality.
Psychophysiology April 1, 2026 Sura Genc, Elif Surer, Marc Wittmann et al.
A new method allows people to report their flow experience continuously in real time by pressing a foot pedal while playing a video game in virtual reality. Forty participants played Thumper under two conditions, with and without the pedal, while their heart activity was recorded. Using the pedal did not interfere with their flow experience or heart-rate variability, and the real-time reports correlated with post-task questionnaires. Heart-rate variability analyses linked high-frequency HRV and the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio to perceived flow, suggesting parasympathetic activity and autonomic balance may contribute to the flow state.