Margaret, 63, enjoys playing online Scrabble every day with her sister who lives on the highway. The online game makes it possible to keep in constant contact in a playful way when they are geographically far away.
Tom, 70, discovered Wordle’s joy and shared his daily results with friends. Penelope, 67, goes online to play Roblox games with her grandchildren who live on the highway.
These are just a few examples of the many ways older adults are gaming across Australia.
During the pandemic lockdowns, games were not only spaces for everyday creativity and informal literacy, but also a way to socialize and stay fit – both mentally and physically. So much so that in 2020 the World Health Organization recognized the communicative and social power of games for well-being.
While the typical gamer is a middle-aged woman, age stereotypes about gamers continue to circulate, due to broader inherent age discriminations embedded in Australian culture.
Maybe we can turn this problem on its head. Maybe we can use games to enhance aging and good aging, build bridges between generations — and even improve our relationships with animals while we’re at it.
Read more: Code cracking, community and competition: why the word puzzle Wordle has become a new online obsession
aging well
Older adults are one of the most diverse cohorts of technology users, from “silver surfer” innovators to those with little experience or confidence.
Victoria’s Aging Well Report lists eight attributes of healthy aging: positivity, purposefulness, respect, social belonging, keeping pace in a changing world, financial/personal security, health autonomy and mobility.
Many of these attributes can be addressed through games and play.
In our research into mobile gaming practices in Australian homes, we found numerous ways games provide intergenerational ways for socialization, connection and creativity.
Word games like Scrabble and Wordle have been harnessed to add playful, social dimensions to people’s lives: older adult siblings playing online every day, or grandparents playing with grandchildren on the highway.
Game apps like Pokémon Go have been used to motivate older adults to exercise and socialize.
In countries as diverse as Japan and Spain, the power of Pokémon Go has enhanced different dimensions of everyday life – from getting mobile and discovering local neighborhoods to playing together to win tournaments.
Read more: Meet Sofia: A 67-year-old widow who uses Pokémon Go to reconnect with her city
Game genres such as ‘social justice’ and ‘games for change’ have been harnessed to tackle complex problems such as elder abuse in new ways by providing safe spaces to increase empathy and reshape perceptions.
In our research, we mentored and interviewed older adult players in Badalona, Spain, about their use of Pokémon Go.
On the streets of Badalona, hunting Pokémons was clearly about intergenerational play and socializing. The game was such a success in rehabilitating the elderly by making exercise fun and social that social workers began prescribing it as part of their health plans.
There is a growing body of research on intergenerational connection games. But the role of games in improving our relationships with animals has been overlooked – despite the fact that animals play an essential role in our relationships today.
Our best friend
Australians love their animals: one in three prefer animals to people.
Despite this reality, companion animals are not recognized in Australian aged care plans. This means that many older adults can be excluded by the system.
For many older adults, companion animals are crucial to their social and physical well-being.
Digital games like Stray see the player take on the role of a stray cat. These kinds of games can increase our empathy for animals, but there is a missed opportunity in relation to the human-animal bonds for healthy aging.
The human-animal kinship is a game-ready space that could enrich the ability to age well.
During the pandemic lockdowns, the Cherished Pet Foundation in Melbourne has tried several techniques to support their community, including the use of games.
Pet Playing for Placemaking (co-designed by Jacob Sheahan) invited senior pet owners and members of the local community to team up and compete in treasure hunt style gameplay.
Elderly pet owners, limited in mobility and vulnerable to the virus, completed digital puzzles that reveal locations where their play partner (usually a volunteer or neighbor) can walk their pet and discover more challenges that lead to other places.
Participants reported that they found the game a fun way to connect with their neighborhood and community — and it kept their pets happy, too.
Read more: Dogs can get dementia, but lots of walking can lower the risk
The beauty of gameplay
Aging well is about positive and reinforcing pathways to aging emotionally, physically and mentally.
This can take many forms: social connection, respectful relationships, regular exercise and mobility.
Games can play an active role in enhancing aging, enriching social and intergenerational connections, mobility and health.
While the pandemic is exposing barriers to healthy aging, it has also created opportunities. Maybe we should all play more with aging well?
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