Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has studied the psychology of intense concentration into challenging tasks and related feelings. His work does not provide all solutions that a student of player experiences requires, but is central reading nevertheless.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1991) Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper Perennial. (Excerpts available online from Amazon.com.)
This is the classic paper that is often quoted in studies into online player typologies, online sociology and player psychology:
Bartle, Richard (1996) ‘Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs’. The Journal of Virtual Environments, 1(1). Online:
 | Bernie DeKoven on The Well Played Game |
 | imcarelli on Toward a Critical Vocabulary f… |
 | hasserved on What Video Games Have To Teach… |
 | frans on Game Studies Journal |
 | martinpi on Game Studies Journal |
An Introduction to Game Studies 