Assessing Game Mechanics of a VR-Based Cognitive Game for Older Adults to Enable Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment

This study presents a performance analysis of older adults engaged in a virtual reality (VR) serious game designed for cognitive training, to stablish with varaiables could be used for Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment. The game, developed using Unity3D and deployed on MetaQuest2, aims to enhance sorting and memory skills by requiring players to classify items into appropriate boxes within a set time limit. Nine participants, aged 76.5 years on average, played the game over multiple sessions. Regression analysis revealed that the number of items significantly influenced play time (p = 0.006), while item variety did not (p = 0.397). Even though the number of items affects play time, results suggest that we need to identify additional variables that can influence the challenge perceived by the user, further research is recommended to identify additional factors influencing performance and to develop algorithms for dynamic difficulty adjustment.