Video Games and Well-Being in Older People

Dear Colleagues, 

Worldwide, active ageing has been revealed to be one of the social strategies with the greatest preventive power and the ability to improve the quality of life of older adults, with beneficial effects in the reduction in economic, health and social care costs associated with ageing. The use of video games (serious games) within the framework of gerontechnology and positive technology is one of the current topics of greatest expansion and interest for the international scientific community, video game developers and public decision-makers with a view to promote active ageing. In a preliminary stage, the focus of this interest has been on the effect of video games on cognitive training and therapeutic intervention based on digital games as a means of supporting the development of cognitive skills in the elderly. In this monographic issue, in addition to the cognitive aspects, we are particularly interested in paying attention to the socio-affective dimension. This involves analysing the extent to which the use of different types of digital games, such as causal games, serious games, social games and educational games, is related to the emotional and social well-being of older adults.  Whilst research on this topic grows annually, substantial gaps remain. Our hope is that this Special Issue will help fill this gap and present evidence in an organised and focused manner. To this end, we are specifically interested in papers emphasising, but not limited to, the following areas: 

• The role of social and educational video games in the functional improvement, autonomy and general well-being of the elderly;
• The examination of the socioemotional impacts of gaming on older adults (+60);
• The presentation of evidence on the effects of digital games on the improvement of social interaction and inclusion of the elderly;
• The assessment of the potential of video games on intergenerational relationships and perceptions (children/young people and older people);
• The analysis or presentation of evidence on the role of video games, digital games and/or interactive network games in improving social interaction and active participation, belonging and social engagement of the elderly;
• Technological devices based on video games for e-leisure and older adults’ entertainment;
• The role of serious games in the early diagnosis of cognitive decline and dementia. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Abd-Alrazaq, A., Al-Jafar, E., Alajlani, M., Toro, C., Alhuwail, D., Ahmed, A., ... & Househ, M. (2022). The Effectiveness of Serious Games for Alleviating Depression: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JMIR Serious Games, 10(1), e32331.

Grossi, G., Lanzarotti, R., Napoletano, P., Noceti, N., & Odone, F. (2020). Positive technology for elderly well-being: A review. Pattern Recognition Letters, 137, 61-70.

Lee, Y. H. (2019). Older adults’ digital gameplay, social capital, social connectedness, and civic participation. Game Studies, 1(19).

de Souza Santos, F., de Lima Salgado, A., & de Mattos Fortes, R. P. (2018). Um Mapeamento Sistemático sobre Acessibilidade e Usabilidade no Desenvolvimento de Jogos Digitais para Idosos. iSys-Revista Brasileira de Sistemas de Informação, 11(2), 63-90.

Jinmoo Heo, Jungsu Ryu, Hyunmin Yang & Kyung Min Kim (2018): Serious

leisure and depression in older adults: a study of pickleball players, Leisure Studies, DOI:10.1080/02614367.2018.1477977

Kaufman, D., Ma, M., Sauve, L., Renaud, L., & Duplaa, E. (2019). Benefits of Digital Gameplay for Older Adults: Does Game Type Make a Difference?. International Journal of Aging Research, 2(4).

Nguyen, T. T. H., Ishmatova, D., Tapanainen, T., Liukkonen, T. N., Katajapuu, N., Makila, T., & Luimula, M. (2017). Impact of serious games on health and well-being of elderly: a systematic review. In Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. 3695-3704

Redolat, R., Fernández-Rios, M., Martinez, N., Moron, A., & Corachan, S. (2020). Scientific evidence for the use of" serious games" or therapeutic games in people with Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. Technium Soc. Sci. J., 12, 173.

Sauvé, L., Renaud, L., Kaufman, D., & Duplàa, E. (2015). Validation of the educational games for seniors: Live well, live healthy! Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, 2015(February 20), 674-682. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.526

Vajawat, B., Varshney, P., & Banerjee, D. (2021). Digital gaming interventions in psychiatry: evidence, applications and challenges. Psychiatry Research, 295, 113585

Zhang, F., & Kaufman, D. (2016). Cognitive benefits of older adults' digital gameplay: A critical review. Gerontechnology, 15(1), 3 -16. doi:10.4017/gt.2016.15.1.002.00

Prof. Dr. Antonio Víctor Martín-García
Prof. Dr. Rosa Redolat
Guest Editors

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• positive technology
• eldergames
• casual games
• social and educational video games
• interpersonal games
• older adults
• well-being
• serious games
• aging