A Case of Designing a Game to Support Older Adults in a Community Setting: Implications for Supporting Active Togetherness

Community senior centers often play a significant role in fostering physical activity and social interactions among seniors in the communities they serve. Oftentimes, games are one way that centers engage seniors and provide recreational and social support. In recent years the growing emphasis on digital games for supporting seniors has led to new understanding of how to improve senior’s wellness. However, much of the work in this area has examined games for improving physical activity with less emphasis on social interaction and design for community settings. In this paper, we partnered with a local senior center, to better understand the role of the center and the gaming sessions they provide in encouraging physical activity and social interactions among seniors. From initial observations and interviews, we identified implications for designing games for active togetherness, or supporting feeling of togetherness while engaging in short bursts of physical activity. We designed a hybrid game based on these implications and examined the perceived impact of our design had on seniors’ social engagement and physical activity. Based on our findings, we contribute implications for game design that supports active togetherness in a senior community environment.