Socioemotional Benefits of Digital Games for Older Adults

Older adults are the fastest growing population in the world, with the number of those over sixty years old expected to grow to more than two billion by 2050. In recent years, discussions have focused on programs aimed at fostering socioemotional factors, such as social connections, subjective wellbeing, life satisfaction, and levels of loneliness of older adults, to maintain their quality of life. This paper reviews the literature on socioemotional benefits and the impacts of digital games on this factor. Three examples are given from recent studies carried out in Canada that demonstrate the impacts of digital games on social connectedness.

[1]  A. Sixsmith,et al.  Older Adults’ Digital Gameplay , 2016 .

[2]  Vero Vanden Abeele,et al.  Designing meaningful play within the psycho-social context of older adults , 2010, Fun and Games '10.

[3]  Julie A. Brown,et al.  Exploring the Next Generation of Older Gamers: Middle-Aged Gamers , 2016, HCI.

[4]  Sheldon Cohen,et al.  Does positive affect influence health? , 2005, Psychological bulletin.

[5]  John T. Cacioppo,et al.  PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Research Article How Can I Connect With Thee? Let Me Count the Ways , 2022 .

[6]  Suleman Shahid,et al.  Designing social games for children and older adults: Two related case studies , 2010, Entertain. Comput..

[7]  Galit Nimrod.  Seniors' online communities: a quantitative content analysis. , 2010, The Gerontologist.

[8]  David Kaufman,et al.  Aging Well: Can Digital Games Help Older Adults? , 2013 .

[9]  J. Rowe,et al.  Successful aging. , 1998, Aging.

[10]  Yvonne L. Michael,et al.  Mobility, Disability, and Social Engagement in Older Adults , 2013, Journal of aging and health.

[11]  Arlene J. Astell,et al.  Technology and Fun for a Happy Old Age , 2013 .

[12]  Adrian David Cheok,et al.  Age invaders: social and physical inter-generational mixed reality family entertainment , 2008, Virtual Reality.

[13]  B. De Schutter,et al.  The older player of digital games: A classification based on perceived need satisfaction , 2014 .

[14]  Aaron Delwiche,et al.  The Players They are A-Changin': The Rise of Older MMO Gamers , 2013 .

[15]  Valerie C. Bryan,et al.  Senior Adults' Perceptions of Successful Aging , 2006 .

[16]  Galit Nimrod.  The fun culture in seniors' online communities. , 2011, The Gerontologist.

[17]  Leonard Reinecke,et al.  The social side of gaming: How playing online computer games creates online and offline social support , 2012, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[18]  K. Rook,et al.  Social relationships as a source of companionship: Implications for older adults' psychological well-being. , 1990 .

[19]  Lawrence A Palinkas,et al.  Building blocks of successful aging: a focus group study of older adults' perceived contributors to successful aging. , 2007, The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

[20]  Fan Zhang,et al.  The impacts of social interactions in MMORPGs on older adults' social capital , 2015, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[21]  Robert D. Putnam,et al.  Bowling alone: the collapse and revival of American community , 2000, CSCW '00.

[22]  G. Robert Whitcomb,et al.  Computer games for the elderly , 1990, CQL '90.

[23]  Simone Hausknecht,et al.  Social Benefits of Playing Wii Bowling for Older Adults , 2016 .

[24]  Rui Liu,et al.  Attitudes about aging well among a diverse group of older Americans: implications for promoting cognitive health. , 2009, The Gerontologist.

[25]  Kristopher J Preacher,et al.  Loneliness impairs daytime functioning but not sleep duration. , 2010, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association.

[26]  Shannon Freeman,et al.  A Scoping Review of Digital Gaming Research Involving Older Adults Aged 85 and Older. , 2016, Games for health journal.

[27]  Yvonne de Kort,et al.  Social connectedness: concept and measurement , 2009, Intelligent Environments.

[28]  Anne Collins McLaughlin,et al.  Successful aging through digital games: Socioemotional differences between older adult gamers and Non-gamers , 2013, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[29]  Joan Nankervis,et al.  The concept of health in older age: views of older people and health professionals. , 2007, Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association.

[30]  David A Bennett,et al.  Loneliness and the rate of motor decline in old age: the rush memory and aging project, a community-based cohort study , 2010, BMC geriatrics.

[31]  Stephen Ristau.  People Do Need People: Social Interaction Boosts Brain Health in Older Age , 2011 .

[32]  Robert B Tate,et al.  Older Men's Lay Definitions of Successful Aging over Time: The Manitoba Follow-up Study , 2013, International journal of aging & human development.

[33]  David Kaufman,et al.  Older Adults’ Social Interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) , 2016, Games Cult..

[34]  Hannah R. Marston,et al.  Digital Gaming Perspectives of Older Adults: Content vs. Interaction , 2013 .

[35]  Marja Jylhä,et al.  Loneliness and Ageing: Comparative Perspectives , 2010 .

[36]  K. Rook,et al.  Gaps in social support resources in later life: An adaptational challenge in need of further research , 2009, Journal of social and personal relationships.

[37]  Dennis Wollersheim,et al.  Physical and Psychosocial Effects of Wii Video Game Use among Older Women , 2010 .

[38]  Luciano Gamberini,et al.  Playing for a Real Bonus: Videogames to Empower Elderly People , 2008 .

[39]  Tuomas Kari,et al.  Explaining the Adoption and Habits of Playing Exergames: The Role of Physical Activity Background and Digital Gaming Frequency , 2015, AMCIS.

[40]  Robyn Schell,et al.  Cognitive Benefits of Digital Games for Older Adults - Strategies for Increasing Participation , 2014, CSEDU.

[41]  J. Jong-Gierveld,et al.  Gender and Marital-History Differences in Emotional and Social Loneliness among Dutch Older Adults* , 2004, Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement.

[42]  Maxine Weinstein,et al.  Participating in social activities helps preserve cognitive function: an analysis of a longitudinal, population-based study of the elderly. , 2005, International journal of epidemiology.

[43]  Eugène Loos,et al.  Exergaming: Meaningful Play for Older Adults? , 2017, HCI.

[44]  Bob De Schutter,et al.  Never Too Old to Play: The Appeal of Digital Games to an Older Audience , 2011, Games Cult..

[45]  Manfred Tscheligi,et al.  HERMES: Pervasive Computing and Cognitive Training for Ageing Well , 2009, IWANN.

[46]  D. Kort,et al.  Senior gamers : preferences, motivations and needs , 2009 .

[47]  J. Goldstein,et al.  Video games and the elderly , 1997 .

[48]  D. Knook,et al.  Successful aging in the oldest old: Who can be characterized as successfully aged? , 2001, Archives of internal medicine.

[49]  J. Bond,et al.  The prevalence of, and risk factors for, loneliness in later life: a survey of older people in Great Britain , 2005, Ageing and Society.

[50]  Yvonne de Kort,et al.  Shared Fun Is Doubled Fun: Player Enjoyment as a Function of Social Setting , 2008, Fun and Games.

[51]  Matthew E. Brashears,et al.  Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades , 2006 .

[52]  Simone Hausknecht,et al.  Building Seniors' Social Connections and Reducing Loneliness Through a Digital Game , 2015, ICT4AgeingWell.

[53]  C. Depp,et al.  Older adults' perspectives on successful aging: qualitative interviews. , 2010, The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

[54]  John T. Cacioppo,et al.  Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection , 2008 .

[55]  Vero Vanden Abeele,et al.  The domestication of digital games in the lives of older adults , 2015, New Media Soc..

[56]  Karolien Poels,et al.  Digital game design for elderly users , 2007, Future Play.