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From pinball to Pac-Man, arcade games and th
eir video counterparts tend to be relegated to the children’s table – derided as juvenile entertainments that sap brainpower and encourage antisocial behavior. Lately, though, that perspective has shifted as more and more studies reveal a host of social and mental benefits associated with game play, especially for those 65 years and older.
While a lot of study has gone into the effects of video games on children and young adults, in the past few years attention has shifted to how video game play can affect perceptual and cognitive abilities in older adults – specifically senior citizens aged 65 and older. Because age can influence an individual’s ability to participate in physical activities, many see video games as a perfect addition to senior living healthcare protocols.
For many seniors facing mobility challenges, the interactive feature of online video games can with the isolation and deteriorating brain function so many elderly adults face as they age. With a plethora of options – from immersive adventure games to puzzle-solving offerings – video games can help enhance cognitive function and increase social interaction by allowing players to connect with other users through the game’s online community.
A variety of studies has attempted to establish a connection between video game play and cognitive function. While many researchers have reported significantly improved mental functionality, including improved memory and analytical reasoning older adults as the result of playing a video game, the connection between video game play and increased cognitive function can be tenuous. A Frontiers in Psychology report from 2013 concluded, “video game interventions may hold promise in terms of addressing declines associated with cognitive aging, but there are still many unknowns.”
Follow-up tests found that the seniors who played the strategy video game improved their performance on tests of memory, reasoning and cognition. There were marked improvements; Kramer said, in what’s called executive control processes — abilities such as planning, scheduling, dealing with ambiguity and multi-tasking.
But as Jason Allaire, co-author of Putting Fun Into Video Games for Older Adults, points out, one significant aspect of gaming by older adults is the ability to significantly improve functionality for seniors who seem to be struggling the most with cognitive function.
“As we get older, we show declines in many of those abilities,” Allaire recently explained to MedicineNet. “As a result of doing certain things, we end up doing them less often. The kinds of processes that were exercised in the video game were some of the processes that older adults show deficits on.”
In Allaire’s study, conducted with fellow psychology professor Anne McLaughlin, the participants who had initially scored well below average on initial baseline tests showed significant improvement in cognitive focus and spatial ability after playing World of Warcraft for two hours a day over a two-week period.
“The people who needed it most — those who performed the worst on the initial testing — saw the most improvement,” Allaire said.
While the researchers quibble over cause and effect, many senior caregivers and senior living facilities have begun to include video game play in their roster of resident activities.
Whether it’s a desktop version of solitaire or the latest Xbox offerings, the variety of options means that there is no end to the possibilities of the types of interactive game play available for seniors.
As Allaire and his colleagues conclude in their report, “the social opportunities afforded by video games have the potential to offer great benefits in the lives of senior citizens.”
