"Game-based psychotherapy" for active ageing: A game design proposal in non-game context

The aim of this paper is to propose a digital game as a learning strategy to encourage active ageing, based on the participants' learning context and their main motivations to adhere to healthy habits. Thirty-three participants of a Portuguese University of Third Age enrolled a twenty-nine-session course, in which the following topics were discussed: physical activity, nutrition, cognitive activity, security, participation in society, and information and communication technologies. Data were collected using field notes, group discussions and questionnaires. A game design proposal is presented and the main elements and techniques of game design that can be applied in non-game contexts are discussed.

[1]  Ann Bowling,et al.  Enhancing later life: How older people perceive active ageing? , 2008, Aging & mental health.

[2]  Christina Gloeckner.  Interaction Ritual Essays In Face To Face Behavior , 2016 .

[3]  Dick Stroud,et al.  The 50-Plus Market: Why the Future Is Age-Neutral When It Comes to Marketing and Branding Strategies , 2006 .

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

[5]  E. Loos,et al.  [Silver gaming: serious fun for seniors?]. , 2015, Tijdschrift voor gerontologie en geriatrie.

[6]  Denise C. Park,et al.  Neuroplasticity and cognitive aging: the scaffolding theory of aging and cognition. , 2009, Restorative neurology and neuroscience.

[7]  D. Shaw.  Human development report, 1990 : UNDP ix + 189 pages, £9.95, (New York and Oxford, Oxford University Press for UNDP, 1990)☆ , 1991 .

[8]  D. Wantland,et al.  The Effectiveness of Web-Based vs. Non-Web-Based Interventions: A Meta-Analysis of Behavioral Change Outcomes , 2004, Journal of medical Internet research.

[9]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  Videogames as therapy: a review of the medical and psychological literature , 2013 .

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

[11]  Kaj Grønbæk,et al.  Cooperative design: techniques and experiences from the Scandinavian scene , 1995 .

[12]  Denise C. Park,et al.  The aging mind: neuroplasticity in response to cognitive training , 2013, Dialogues in clinical neuroscience.

[13]  Julita Vassileva,et al.  Tailoring persuasive health games to gamer type , 2013, CHI.

[14]  B Blobel,et al.  eHealth: combining health telematics, telemedicine, biomedical engineering and bioinformatics to the edge. , 2008, Methods of information in medicine.

[15]  A. Veloso,et al.  The gamer's soul never dies: Review of digital games for an active ageing , 2015, 2015 10th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI).

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

[17]  Elwood F. Holton,et al.  The Adult Learner : The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development , 1998 .

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

[19]  Ana Veloso,et al.  Social network games in an ageing society: Co-designing online games with adults aged 50 and over , 2015, 2015 10th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI).

[20]  Ana Isabel Veloso,et al.  Factors Influencing the Adoption of Video Games in Late Adulthood: A Survey of Older Adult Gamers , 2016, Int. J. Technol. Hum. Interact..

[21]  K. M. Lee,et al.  Games for a better life: effects of playing Wii games on the well-being of seniors in a long-term care facility , 2009 .

[22]  A. Beck,et al.  Cognitive behavior therapy : basics and beyond , 2011 .

[23]  Jih-Hsuan Lin,et al.  Using Active Video Games for Physical Activity Promotion , 2013, Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education.

[24]  J. Wiemeyer,et al.  Serious games in prevention and rehabilitation—a new panacea for elderly people? , 2012, European Review of Aging and Physical Activity.

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

[26]  G Eysenbach,et al.  What is e-health? , 2001, Encyclopedia of Social Network Analysis and Mining. 2nd Ed..

[27]  Veerle Van Rompaey,et al.  Introducing human-centered research to game design: designing game concepts for and with senior citizens , 2006, CHI EA '06.

[28]  Ben Shneiderman,et al.  eHealth research from the user's perspective. , 2007, American journal of preventive medicine.

[29]  A. Kalache,et al.  Active ageing: a policy framework. , 2003, Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii.

[30]  Assemblée mondiale sur le vieillissement. . Madrid.  Political declaration and Madrid international plan of action on ageing , 2003 .

[31]  C. Pearce,et al.  Author's Note: Special Thanks for Their Support to Emily Morganti and Heather Logas of Telltale Games; Games and Culture Volume Xx Number X Month Xxxx Xx-xx the Truth about Baby Boomer Gamers a Study of Over-forty Computer Game Players , 2022 .

[32]  E. Sanders.  Generative Tools for Co-designing , 2000 .