‘Jumping Out from the Pressure of Work and into the Game’: Curating Immersive Digital Game Experiences for Post-Work Recovery

Abstract

Extant research demonstrates that playing digital games after work can have a psychologically restorative effect. This paper focuses on understanding how players can maximise this effect by strategically leveraging the immersive potential of digital games. For one week, eleven participants played games after work with the aim of developing strategies to support their post-work recovery. A follow-up laddering interview identified various ”immersion optimisation” strategies that fulfilled components of successful recovery, such as mental disengagement from work and relaxation. These strategies predominantly focused on cognitive involvement and challenge, neglecting other dimensions of immersion. Based on these findings, we contribute an initial framework of immersion optimisation strategies which can be used to enhance the recovery potential of digital games. We also suggest exploring potential boundary conditions of the immersion optimisation phenomenon and offer methodological reflections on the use of the laddering methodology in this study.