Serious Games as Positive Technologies for Individual and Group Flourishing

6 Abstract By fostering continuous learning experiences blended with entertaining 7 affordances, serious games have been able to shape new virtual contexts for human 8 psychological growth and well-being. Thus, they can be considered as Positive 9 Technologies. Positive Technology is an emergent field based on both theoretical 10 and applied research, whose goal is to investigate how Information and Com11 munication Technologies (ICTs) can be used to empower the quality of personal 12 experience. In particular, serious games can influence both individual and inter13 personal experiences by nurturing positive emotions, and promoting engagement, 14 as well as enhancing social integration and connectedness. An in-depth analysis of 15 each of these aspects will be presented in the chapter, with the support of concrete 16 examples. Networked flow, a specific state where social well-being is associated 17 with group flourishing and peak creative states, will eventually be considered 18 along with game design practices that can support its emergence.