Heuristics for designing pervasive game experiences in the older adult population

Abstract

Older adults face significant challenges when trying to incorporate contemporary technology into their lives, which negatively impacts their ability to take full advantage of technological advances in their daily routines. This problem is particularly evident in the entertainment domain, where technological video games can be beneficial to those who venture to use them. Although a growing number of older people are adopting digital games in their daily activities, increasing technological sophistication also creates obstacles in their adaptation process. An example of this is the proliferation of pervasive technological games, which make use of devices such as virtual assistants, sensors embedded in mobile devices, and virtual reality to provide advantages to the older adult population. This article will address the fundamental aspects aimed at improving the game experience in these pervasive environments, taking into consideration the specific needs of this demographic group. This results in the specification of a set of heuristics that can be used to identify potential design problems in game-based systems with some degree of pervasiveness oriented to the elderly population.