Gaming preferences of aging generations

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that action digital game training can improve a variety of perceptual and cognitive abilities, including those that decline most with age. Unfortunately, previous work has found that older adults dislike these games and adherence may be poor for action game-based interventions. The focus of the current study was to better understand the types of games older adults are willing to play and explore predictors of game preference (e.g., gender, age, technology experience, personality). With this information action games might be modified or developed to maximize adherence and cognitive benefit. Older adults were administered a modified version of an existing game questionnaire and a custom game preference survey. Clear preferences were observed that were similar between participants with and without previous digital game experience (with puzzle and intellectually stimulating games being most interesting to older adults in our sample, and massively multiplayer online games and first-person shooters being least interesting). Personality, demographic, and technology experience variables were also collected. Interesting trends suggested the possibility that several demographic and personality variables might be predictive of game preference. Results have implications for future directions of research, designing games that would appeal to older adult audiences, and for how to design custom games to maximize intervention adherence based on individual difference characteristics.

What Older People Like to Play: Genre Preferences and Acceptance of Casual Games

“…To date, most video game training studies have used hardcore action video games (especially first-person shooter [FPS]) to demonstrate how video games can improve perceptual and cognitive abilities, notably those that are also subject to age-associated decline [4,5]. Although action video games are mainly targeted at younger audiences, these kinds of games present barriers to older adults.…”

“…First, learning to play and interact with fast-paced action video games can be very difficult and demotivating for older adults. Second, questionnaire and playtest studies have found that older adults generally dislike action video games, especially when featuring violent content [4,6-8]. Together, this leads to a situation where older adults, despite promising cognitive benefits, are less willing and motivated to play action video games, and thus less likely to follow through with action video game interventions [4,8,9].…”

“…Second, recent studies have shown that different CVG genres engage different perceptual and cognitive functions, allowing the selection of specific game genres to improve specific cognitive skills [17-19]. From a pragmatic point of view, this is crucial as video game-based interventions will not benefit cognitive abilities unless the game is known to engage specific cognitive skills [4]. By better understanding game genre preferences of older adults, future game interventions could offer them different CVG genres that they are both willing to play and that improve specific cognitive abilities [4,20].…”

“…From a pragmatic point of view, this is crucial as video game-based interventions will not benefit cognitive abilities unless the game is known to engage specific cognitive skills [4]. By better understanding game genre preferences of older adults, future game interventions could offer them different CVG genres that they are both willing to play and that improve specific cognitive abilities [4,20]. Third, the concept of genre closely relates to usability.…”

“…Although several recent studies have addressed usability barriers and used survey methods to assess game preferences in older adults [4,16,23,24], playtest studies using a wider range of CVG genres to study game interests and preferences of older adults are lacking [4]. …”