Catálogo de publicaciones - revistas

<jats:p>While older people tend to be regarded as actual, or potential, players of digital games within literature on game studies, human–computer interaction, and gerontechnology, they are also often considered nonavid users of digital technologies. This contradiction prompted us to conduct a literature review, which revealed (a) insufficient involvement of older people within the design of games targeted toward this group and (b) insufficient understanding of their everyday digital gameplay. In this article, we present the conceptualization, design, and evaluation of digital games that active older people found to be sufficiently appealing, playable, and meaningful. A 6-month ethnography of the play experiences of 170 older people helped us to conceptualize these games, which were codesigned through playful everyday activities. To facilitate the development of these games, we designed and evaluated an online game creation platform, which enabled 99 older people with different cultural backgrounds to create, play, and contribute to games.</jats:p>

<jats:p> This research study investigated whether playing a digital game, Wii Bowling, with others can enhance the social life of older adults. Our research used a mixed-methods approach. Results showed that players’ levels of social connectedness increased and loneliness declined over an 8-week period. Qualitative results described participants’ perceptions of their interactions with others, conversations with family and friends, social connections, and the team experience relating to playing in the multiweek, multilocation Wii Bowling tournament. </jats:p>

<jats:p>This article critically explores the benefits of commercial digital gaming technology for healthy aging of people with dementia. Research with community-dwelling people with dementia has highlighted the need for enhanced access to nonpharmacological interventions to support social engagement. Commercially available technologies offer a means to engage people with dementia. This article expands on this body of knowledge by assessing the benefits of digital gaming on healthy aging for community-dwelling people with dementia who have participated in a series of Tech Clubs using Apple iPads, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. Findings from this study demonstrates that use of digital gaming technologies promotes lifelong learning; optimization of mental, physical, and social stimulation; and independence, all of which promote the agenda of healthy aging.</jats:p>

<jats:p> The percentage of older adults who are active gamers has increased tremendously in recent years. Although research shows that video games enhance physical and cognitive well-being in older adults, the role of video games in enhancing social interactions has been relatively understudied. We examined the habits, preferences, motivations, and outcomes of video gameplay among older and younger adults who play games with their family members. The findings reveal that sharing in video games does foster relationships and connections while producing positive emotions for both generations. As a consequence, game designers should take into consideration ways to enhance these social aspects of gameplay. </jats:p>

<jats:p> The purpose of this study was to investigate older adults’ social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). An online survey was developed and published on eight World of Warcraft (WoW) player forums to gather information about older gamers’ demographic characteristics, play patterns, social interactions in the game, and challenges facing older adults while playing WoW. Results indicate that as for their younger counterparts, older adults’ social interactions in MMORPGs are motivated by social, achievement, and immersion factors; can take place on several different levels; and can be casual or intimate. As in previous research, respondents in this study reported that playing MMORPGs offered older adults opportunities to sustain off-line relationships with family and real-life friends and to build meaningful and supportive relationships with game friends. This study also demonstrated that MMORPGs have the potential to function as a “third place” for older adults to socialize and be entertained as in a real-world club or coffee shop. </jats:p>

<jats:p> Recent meta-analyses on video game interventions with the aim to improve cognition have shown promise for both younger and older adults. Most studies suggest that fast-paced action games produce the largest benefits, but previous work has shown that older adults might not necessarily adhere to interventions using action games. To increase intervention adherence, we investigated older adult video game preferences that might bolster adherence by having participants play a competitive game ( Mario Kart DS) or a cooperative game ( Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga) alone or with a partner. Although hypotheses regarding cooperative and multiplayer gameplay were not supported, converging evidence suggests multiplayer gameplay may lead to greater enjoyment, which has been previously shown to be related to intervention adherence. Insights for gaming intervention studies in older populations are also provided. </jats:p>

<jats:p> Knowledge about the experiences of flow by older adults through the engagement of digital games is scarce. This article describes an important element of an international, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial which utilized three purpose-built exergames to facilitate physical activity and to assist with fall prevention of adults aged 65+ years in their homes. Measurement of flow was assessed through the distribution of the Activity Flow State Scale in participants assigned to the intervention group after completion of the trial. Results were analyzed across three areas: study centers, age-groups (50–69 years, 70–78 years, 79–84 years, and 85+), and gender. A positive trend in results was shown by participants from Valencia and Cologne and by gender. Future work should consider qualitative data collection to complement the quantitative data and to provide an in-depth understanding of users’ experiences with exergames. </jats:p>

<jats:p> “Internet addiction” in China and elsewhere is considered a serious social problem. In China, some psychiatrists have claimed 10% of all Internet users—60 million—are potentially “addicted” to the Internet. Following on the heels of the publication of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-5), this qualitative-based research article critically investigates the new concept Internet gaming disorder, a category recently included in the DSM-5 as a condition “warranting more clinical research and experience before it might be considered for inclusion in the main book as a formal disorder.” This article takes up this challenge and responds in the following way: When we investigate the social existence of online gamers labeled Internet addicts in China, and then subject their social existence to the DSM’s own definition of a mental disorder, we discover not a clearly understood mental disorder called Internet gaming disorder but more so an issue of social deviance. </jats:p>