Development of a walking game for the elderly using controllers of hand buttons and foot boards

This paper proposes a serious game for the elderly that allows for the enjoyment of scenic views while walking in the room. The proposed game employs hand buttons and footboards based on a PC as controllers. The game is intended to provide the elderly with physical satisfaction through cooperation and competition, entertainment such as vital power, and opportunities to maintain mental functions through games. To test the efficacy of the game, we considered a sample of 309 elderly individuals who were more than 65 years old and resided in Cheonan City. The results indicated that 76.1% of the participants were fully satisfied with the game, rating it 4.13 out of 5. In addition, 89.4% were willing to play the game again. These results suggest that the intended permissiveness and coenesthesia of the game may be appealing to the elderly.