This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Serious Games, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://games.jmir.org, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.
The number of older adult gamers who play mobile games is growing worldwide. Earlier studies have reported that digital games provide cognitive, physical, and socioemotional benefits for older adults. However, current mobile games that understand older adults’ gameplay experience and reflect their needs are very scarce. Furthermore, studies that have analyzed older adults’ game experience in a holistic manner are rare.
The purpose of this study was to suggest mobile game design guidelines for adults older than 50 years from a holistic gaming experience perspective. Adopting a human-centric approach, this study analyzes middle-aged and older adults’ gameplay experience and suggests practical design guides to increase accessibility and satisfaction.
We organized a living laboratory project called the “Intergenerational Play Workshop.” In this workshop, 40 middle-aged and older adults (mean age 66.75 years, age range 50-85 years) played commercial mobile games of various genres with young adult partners for 1 month (8 sessions). Using a convergent parallel mixed-method design, we conducted a qualitative analysis of dialogue, game diaries, and behavioral observations during the workshop and a quantitative analysis of the satisfaction level of the game elements for the mobile games that they played.
This project was active from April 2019 to December 2021, and the data were collected at the workshops from July 1 to August 28, 2019. Based on the identified themes of positive and negative experiences from the qualitative data, we proposed 45 design guides under 3 categories: (1) cognitive and physical elements, (2) psychological and socioemotional elements, and (3) consumption contextual elements. Our empirical research could reaffirm the proposals from previous studies and provide new guidelines for improving the game design. In addition, we demonstrate how existing commercial games can be evaluated quantitatively by using the satisfaction level of each game’s elements and overall satisfaction level.
The final guidelines were presented to game designers to easily find related information and enhance the overall understanding of the game experience of middle-aged and older adults.
The number of mobile game players has increased annually to 1.1 billion in 2017 and 1.5 billion in 2020. It is expected to increase by 50 million to 100 million people every year and to reach 1.8 billion by 2024 [
Earlier studies have reported various factors that cause difficulties for older adults to play mobile games. In a survey of Canadian gamers aged over 55 years, the highest ranked difficulty was that the games were too complicated [
Various surveys conducted in the United States, Canada, South Korea, and Flanders showed similar results regarding game preferences of older adults. They indicated that older adults strongly prefer puzzles, card/board games, and strategy games to other genres. These types of games are mostly casual and easy to learn and play, but are also challenging [
De Carvalho and Ishitani [
Older adults play games mostly alone rather than with others [
While many user experience studies have been conducted on digital apps for older adults, not many have considered “playability” for older adults on “mobile game” media. Furthermore, studies that have analyzed older adults’ gaming experience in a holistic manner are rare. Some studies have investigated the elements of age-related changes and suggested guides [
RQ1. What are the positive and negative experiences of middle-aged and older adults when playing mobile games?
RQ2. What mobile game design guides should be considered to embrace middle-aged and older adults?
RQ3. How satisfied are middle-aged and older adults with the game elements of commercial mobile games?
We planned to identify several themes of the gaming experience, design guidelines from qualitative analyses (RQ1 and RQ2), and provide useful indicators by presenting the satisfaction levels of the game elements in existing commercial games by using quantitative analysis (RQ3). This convergent parallel mixed-methods design [
We adopted a human-centered approach by using a living laboratory that promotes active involvement of users and applies their experience and feedback to the research [
Demographic information of the participants (N=40).
Characteristics | Values | ||
Age (years), mean (SD) | 66.75 (9.31) | ||
|
|||
|
50-59 | 11 (28) | |
|
60-69 | 14 (35) | |
|
70-79 | 12 (30) | |
|
80-85 | 3 (8) | |
|
|||
|
50 plus campus (middle-aged adult group) | 20 (50) | |
|
Senior welfare center (older adult group) | 20 (50) | |
|
|||
|
Female | 30 (75) | |
|
Male | 10 (25) | |
|
|||
|
Employed | 12 (30) | |
|
Retired/homemaker | 28 (70) | |
|
|||
|
Elementary/middle school | 13 (33) | |
|
High school | 7 (18) | |
|
Undergraduate school | 12 (30) | |
|
Graduate school | 8 (20) | |
|
|||
|
Low: Less than ₩2 million | 18 (45) | |
|
Middle: ₩2-8 million | 16 (40) | |
|
High: More than ₩8 million | 5 (13) | |
|
No response | 1 (3) |
aUS $1=₩1200.
The recruitment process was conducted differently in both the places. Web-based recruitment was conducted at the 50 plus campus for a month, and 20 participants were recruited. Our orientation session explained the workshop activities and received informed consent forms for participation. Two participants did not attend the orientation, and one decided not to participate after the orientation. Therefore, we recruited 3 more participants. In the senior welfare center, offline recruitment was conducted for 1 month. Two social workers familiar with the members of the center participated in the recruitment and selected 20 mentally and physically healthy participants. We also held an orientation session and received informed consent forms. The recruitment results showed a high percentage of female participants. It can be assumed that this was because female members attending these 2 institutes tended to prefer new and coactivity programs over male members.
Ten participants were grouped in 1 class, and there were 4 classes in the workshops (2 middle-aged groups and 2 older adult groups). Over 8 sessions, the number of absent days per participant was 0-4 times (average attendance rate, 91.6% [293/320]). However, no participant dropped out during the workshops in both places. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board of the authors’ institute.
Prior gaming experience of the participants.
Characteristic | Values, n (%) | |
|
|
|
|
No gaming experience | 12 (30) |
|
Currently gaming | 15 (38) |
|
Have experience but no longer play | 13 (33) |
|
|
|
|
10-19 | 3 (11) |
|
20-29 | 3 (11) |
|
30-39 | 5 (18) |
|
40-49 | 2 (7) |
|
50-59 | 6 (21) |
|
More than 60 | 9 (32) |
aOnly for participants with gaming experience.
In addition, 11 undergraduate students (9 females and 2 males, mean age 21.45 years) majoring in the Department of the Senior Industry at Kangnam University participated in the living laboratory activities as supporting partners. In each class, 1 young partner was paired with 1 older participant. Young partners participated in all 4 classes and supported a total of 4 older participants per person. The other young partners assisted in the workshop activities. We also held an orientation session for young adult partners to receive their informed consent for participation and provide instructions for the role of the supporting partners. They helped older participants play games, played games together, and received feedback from them through questions.
Four graduate students studying game design and human-computer interaction developed the first list of games, which are popular and enjoyed across all age groups. They referred to the annual report of the popular game list and personal experience of playing with older adults. Each student added 20-60 game titles in various genres and platforms and scored the difficulty level of gameplay from 1 to 4 according to the time required to learn them (1: 10 minutes, 2: 1-2 hours, 3: a week, 4: more than a week). A total of 146 games were included in the list, and 3 authors finally selected 9 games to play during the workshops.
Games played in the workshops.
Title | Genre | Game description | ||
|
Homescapes | Puzzle and story | A match-3 puzzle where the player solves puzzles presented with stories and decorates a house [ |
|
|
Fruit Ninja | Action | A fruit-slicing action game where the player swipes and slices fruits with a blade [ |
|
|
Long Journey of Life | Adventure and story | A story-based game where the player controls a small boat and sails through life stages from birth to death [ |
|
|
Brawl Stars | Action | A multiplayer web-based battle arena game where players attack other players with the same team members [ |
|
|
Sally’s Law | Action and story | A platformer action game with a story and puzzle [ |
|
|
Good Pizza, Great Pizza | Management | The player becomes the owner of a pizza restaurant and makes pizzas according to orders [ |
|
|
Word Tower-World Trip | Puzzle | A word puzzle game where the player swipes and connects syllables and finds hidden words [ |
|
|
Go-stop Plus | Web board | A web-based version of a Korean traditional card game that uses a deck of 48 cards [ |
|
|
Lonely One: Hole-in-one | Shooting and sports | A golf-based game where the player adjusts the parabola and releases to hit the ball [ |
The following guidelines were used to choose the games. First, the game should be accessible in both mobile phones and tablet personal computers; 72 games were selected in this stage. Second, the game should be in Korean language; 64 games were further selected in this stage. Third, to ensure that the games were not too complicated for older adults, the difficulty level should be 1 or 2. In this stage, 54 games were selected from the remaining ones. There were 21 puzzle games, 6 action games, 6 web board games, 4 adventure games, 10 management/simulation games, 6 shooting games, and 1 rhythm game. Before we finalized the list, we had discussions with a social worker and a program manager in each collaborating institution regarding participant groups’ digital skills [
We organized intergenerational play workshops twice a week for 4 weeks (8 sessions), and each session lasted 1-2 hours. Each session consisted of a short lecture (10-30 min), coplaying (20-40 min), survey and pair discussion (10-20 min), and group discussion (10-20 min).
The lectures dealt with how to play specific games and useful information to enhance the game literacy of those who are not familiar with digital games. After a short lecture, participants and young adult partners were paired, and they played games together. Each pair was provided a 10-inch tablet personal computer, but they could use their personal smartphone if they wanted. Young adult partners not only played games together but also taught participants how to play and get acquainted with the games. After playing a game, the young partner asked, “what were you satisfied with or unsatisfied with during the game play?”, to which the participants provided their responses. In addition, participants filled out the survey form by checking the satisfaction level for each element of the game. They discussed their gameplay experience and shared ideas of design recommendation during group discussions. Participants were compensated with ₩10,000 (approximately US $8) per session for participating in the workshops.
Photographs from the intergenerational play workshop.
For over one month of the living laboratory activities, older adult participants could visit the play room at the senior welfare center and use the tablet personal computers, which had the recommended games installed. There was no playroom at the 50 plus campus, but middle-aged adult participants could borrow the tablet personal computers and play games at home. Both groups could also install and play games on their personal mobile phones. Researchers opened a web-based community and asked participants to upload diaries with their experience after playing games at home. This task of writing a diary was only assigned to the middle-aged adult group because the older adult group was not familiar with a web-based community.
For qualitative data entries, conversations during coplaying and discussion sessions were recorded and transcribed, including gaming diaries from middle-aged participants. The purpose of the qualitative analysis was to develop a practical mobile design guide for middle-aged and older adults in a holistic manner. The “customer journey map” suggested by service design studies [
First, we performed inductive thematic analysis on conversation transcripts and gameplay diaries to identify the positive and negative experiences of gameplay. We followed the 6 steps of thematic analysis proposed by Braun and Clarke [
Second, we grouped themes of positive and negative experiences under the categories of elements related to gameplay. In order to define these categories, we first identified the basic elements (eg, audiovisuals, interface) by referring to the fundamental components presented by Ermi and Mäyrä [
Third, we generated design guides from each theme of experience and recommendation from the participants’ feedback. Three authors and one game design expert reviewed the themes and created proper guides. The final guides were compared with previous works to identify the guides that matched the previous works and the newly discovered guides.
For quantitative data, we requested survey responses regarding the satisfaction level with each element of the games played at the end of each session. The data were collected because the scores of the commercial games on each element can be a useful indicator for game designers. First, participants rated the satisfaction level of each game's elements on a 5-point scale for the game they played that day (1=very unsatisfied; 2=unsatisfied; 3=average; 4=satisfied; and 5=very satisfied).
Second, on the last day of the workshop, participants rated the overall satisfaction level of the game experience for each game on a 5-point scale. This allowed us to examine the satisfaction level when participants first encountered each game and the overall satisfaction after playing the game for a while.
Survey questionnaires for measuring the satisfaction level.
Game element | Question | |
|
||
|
Font size | Was the text legible with a reasonable font size? |
|
Button size | Was the size and location of the button appropriate? |
|
Sound | Were you satisfied with the sound of the game? |
|
Information amount | Was there an appropriate amount of on-screen information? |
|
Button interaction | Did you have any difficulty finding which button to press on each page? |
|
Speed | Was the game played at a proper speed to understand the content? |
|
Agility | Was it difficult when you needed a quick reaction? (eg, selecting moving targets, avoiding obstacles quickly) |
|
||
|
Objective | Was the goal to achieve in the game clear and appropriate? |
|
Resource/item | Was the method of using in-game resources and items clear and appropriate? |
|
Word comprehension | Did you understand the meaning of the words and sentences in the game? |
|
Mood/character/story | Did you like the atmosphere, character, and story of the game? |
|
||
|
Setting to start | How was the setting process to start the game? (eg, loading the account, setting a nickname) |
|
Advertising | Were the in-game ads easy to deal with? |
|
Payment | Did you understand the in-game purchase system? |
We identified 38 themes of positive experiences and 58 themes of negative experiences from dialogs, game diaries, and observations. The most frequently mentioned negative experience was difficulty in understanding the game rules. The second was frustration caused by repeated failures in action games because of lack of agility. The third was difficulty in distinguishing between important objects of similar color or design. Interestingly, the pleasure of playing together was found to be the most positive experience, followed by cognitive training. The third was sensational pleasure derived from special audiovisual effects such as all objects bursting at once. Based on the identified themes of positive and negative experiences, we proposed 45 mobile game design guides for the middle-aged and older adult population. For detailed lists of themes and guides, see the supplementary material (
Mobile game design guides on cognitive and physical elements.
Design guide (DG) | Previous works | |||
|
||||
|
DG1 | Design important object/character as distinguishable from others. | [ |
|
|
DG2 | Provide voice dubbing when presenting stories or speech bubble. | [ |
|
|
DG3 | Provide options to choose the size of the font and objects. | [ |
|
|
DG4 | Avoid sounds that are too sharp or repetitive. | —a | |
|
||||
|
DG5 | Present functions step-by-step rather than presenting excessive information in one screen. | [ |
|
|
DG6 | Visually express functions of buttons for illiterate players. | [ |
|
|
DG7 | Avoid multiple button controls at the same time unless they are essential to gameplay. | [ |
|
|
DG8 | Provide user manual that explains the control and function of buttons. | [ |
|
|
DG9 | Place important buttons in easy to find and touch locations. | [ |
|
|
DG10 | Provide a mini-map. | — | |
|
DG11 | Highlight touch area rather than suggesting to touch anywhere. | — | |
|
DG12 | Provide a tutorial in case of repeated incorrect touch interactions. | — | |
|
DG13 | Automatically confirm the termination of sliding actions after a specific time period. | — | |
|
DG14 | Limit the area of operating touchpad on the screen. | — | |
|
||||
|
DG15 | Provide practice session for beginners. | — | |
|
DG16 | Provide hints for control timing when the player fails repeatedly. | — | |
|
DG17 | Increase the process speed and difficulty incrementally. | [ |
|
|
DG18 | Provide speed adjustment function. | [ |
aNot available.
Several previous studies have reported design recommendations that consider age-related changes such as font size, interface, and motor skills in user interface design, including digital games [
Touch interaction in games is unique for older adult participants who lack gameplay experience and who are not familiar with sliding or swapping interactions. We developed design guides 11-14 based on the failure cases of touch interaction. Most failure cases were observed in older adult participants. We found that participants slid objects in the wrong direction or forgot to pull a finger away from the screen after the action. In addition, some participants mistakenly performed a tap action when a slide was required. Several participants failed to double-click because they tapped once or too slowly. Confusion among participants was aggravated when complex touch-interaction methods were required. The older adult group played “Lonely One: Hole-in-one,” in which a parabola appears when the player touches anywhere on the screen. The player should adjust the position of the parabola and release it, causing the object to move along the parabola. This interaction method is similar to the popular game “Angry Birds.” Participants often failed to draw a correct parabola because they touched the wrong starting point (too close to the edge of the screen). Moreover, they tried to draw a line with their finger along the parabolic dotted line. In addition, we found that participants felt uncomfortable when the speed of the moving character was too fast or too slow. We developed 4 guides regarding motor skills (design guides 15-18).
In terms of story and character, participants expressed dissatisfaction with stories that were too simple or cliché. They were also dissatisfied with stories that lack sympathy or promoted negative emotions such as depression and gloom. Participants also criticized stereotypical expressions regarding the lives of older adults. Instead, participants liked game stories that appealed to and were empathetic to players, stimulated their curiosity, and provided useful knowledge. One participant felt satisfied when another character in the game praised the player. Similar guides and recommendations were reported from previous works [
Similar to previous studies, we found that many older adult participants perceived gameplay as cognitive training activities [
Mobile game design guides on psychological and socioemotional elements.
Design guide (DG) | Previous works | ||
|
|||
|
DG19 | Provide guidance, tutorials, and practice sessions. | [ |
|
DG20 | Provide options for selecting difficulty levels. | [ |
|
DG21 | Provide hints when the player fails repeatedly or is taking too much time. | —a |
|
DG22 | Provide game rules and tips during loading time (repetitive tutorials). | — |
|
DG23 | Provide a notification message if players abuse resources early in the game. | — |
|
DG24 | Provide an appropriate challenge rather than a simple or easy rule. | [ |
|
DG25 | Eliminate time limits or provide alternatives for level-passing. | [ |
|
DG26 | Provide time management options. | [ |
|
|
||
|
DG27 | Provide familiar languages and concepts to the player (eg, based on culture and age). | [ |
|
DG28 | Provide players with complimentary messages or motivational feedback. | [ |
|
DG29 | Do not indicate life of older adults in static, passive, negative, and depressed tones. | [ |
|
DG30 | Provide options for players to choose stories and reflect diversity. | — |
|
|
||
|
DG31 | Inform players of the affective aspect and beneficial effects of the game (eg, cognitive training, strategic thinking, learning, connecting real life, reminiscing) | [ |
|
|
||
|
DG32 | Consider using multiplayer mode or coplaying context in single play mode. | [ |
|
DG33 | Remove chat features in competitive games or only allow consensual chat between players. | — |
|
DG34 | Restrict the use of abusive language. | — |
aNot available.
One middle-aged participant was rather satisfied with the lack of chat function when playing “Brawl Stars” because she never heard swear words or slang from other players. Alternatively, it was less burdensome if the chat function was set to be available after establishing some acquaintances. However, participants were uncomfortable when the method for connecting to social media or inviting friends was complicated. Some participants were concerned about other people; they were worried about bothering others while turning the sound on or exhibiting excessive action during gameplay. One participant said that she did not want to connect to social media and show others that she played games because there were many formal relationships on social media.
Participants felt uncomfortable and bored when there were too many ads or when the ads were too long. In addition, they felt uncomfortable when they are suddenly required to watch an ad while playing because it interrupts their game flow. They were upset that advertisements with inappropriate content such as adult content suddenly appear sometimes without any notification. Participants sometimes became confused whether the pop-up interaction was an advertisement or the game they were playing. They were also confused because they did not know how to turn the ads off, especially when the clickable “close” button feature was too small or when there was a countdown before the appearance of the close button. Participants hoped to be provided with items, hints, and other benefits of gameplay when watching advertisements. Some older adult participants were very generous regarding advertisements. They said that it was okay because they could take a short break and were provided new information during the advertisement.
Regarding payment, older adult participants had no intention of purchasing games or items. They did not connect their credit card to the app store because they were afraid of being mischarged. However, some middle-aged adults paid to buy items to gain an advantage in the game. Both groups were offended when phrases inducing such charges appeared at a difficult level.
Mobile game design guides on consumption contextual elements.
Design guide (DG) | Description | ||
|
|||
|
DG35 | Able to play both in a tablet personal computer and mobile phone. | |
|
DG36 | Provide supportive equipment (eg, touch pen, controller). | |
|
|||
|
DG37 | Inform expected install time and file sizes. | |
|
DG38 | Load account information automatically with privacy precautions. | |
|
DG39 | Use easy and unique game titles, which do not overlap with other games. | |
|
|||
|
DG40 | Provide items and hints after viewing ads. | |
|
DG41 | Avoid excessive or long ads, which interrupt gaming. | |
|
DG42 | Make it easy to turn off the ads. | |
|
DG43 | Present suitable ads for ages and preference (avoid inappropriate content). | |
|
DG44 | Let the player choose the timing for advertisements (avoid sudden ads that interrupt the game flow). | |
|
DG45 | Noninteractive ads are preferred over interactive ads. |
Regarding games played by both groups (
Satisfaction levels in games played by both groups.
Regarding games played by the middle-aged group only (
Satisfaction levels in games played by the middle-aged group.
Regarding games played by the older adult group only (
Satisfaction levels in games played by the older adult group.
This project was funded from April 2019 to December 2021 and approved by the institutional review board on June 7, 2019. The data were collected at the workshops involving 40 middle-aged and older adults and 11 young partners from July 1, 2019 to August 28, 2019.
The purpose of this study was to derive mobile game design guidelines for the middle-aged and older adult population by analyzing user experience through a qualitative thematic analysis. We proposed 45 guides under the framework of 10 game elements. In addition, we reported descriptive statistics showing the satisfaction profiles for 9 game cases. Based on these results, we had the following discussion.
Previous studies reported that aging issues such as decreased eyesight, memory, and motor skills could lead to difficulties in playing digital games targeted at the younger generation [
The use of new technologies is more likely to be a response to historical changes in the older generation than age-related declines [
According to the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics framework proposed by Hunicke et al [
Regarding the social aspect of the gaming experience, participants enjoyed playing games together [
There are several limitations associated with this study and a number of issues that remain unexplored. First, a limited number of games were played because of the short workshop duration. Users’ personal preference and styles are important factors, but we did not reflect them when we chose the games. Depending on the diverse interests of middle-aged and older adults, we need to discover and expose them to more games suiting their preferences.
Second, extra caution is required to generalize the results because we could not recruit a more diverse participant pool. All the participants were Koreans, and the results could vary depending on participants from different cultural backgrounds and technology dissemination. In addition, we could not recruit participants who are prescribed or recommended gaming but who have no affinity to games. Moreover, as more female participants were recruited, the study does not include plentiful experiences of male participants. However, since mobile games are especially popular with middle-aged and older women [
Third, special attention is required when interpreting the results because the presence of young adults in the workshop setting could impact the gaming experience of participants. Our participants were able to obtain immediate help during the workshop from young partners; however, in many cases, playing alone would likely cause more difficulties.
Fourth, the scope of the quantitative analysis reports descriptive statistics at the exploration stage. The purpose of the quantitative analysis was to provide a useful indicator to game designers by showing the visual profiles of each case. Therefore, these tentative results require further refinement in strictly controlled experiments.
Lastly, with regard to the prior experience with computers and digital games, we found that there were differences between middle-aged adults and older adults in terms of gaming experience, but further research is needed to clarify these differences. In addition, when the digital native generation in their 20s and 30s is older, this guide is likely to have different criteria. Technologies are gradually evolving to be available intuitively without special learning. Therefore, this guide will require continuous updates through user studies from different cohorts.
This study includes considerations when creating games for the middle-aged and older population. Game design guides were produced based on the feedback of middle-aged and older adults during the game workshops, where they played mobile games of various genres. The implications of this study are suggesting a design guideline focusing on 10 categories of game elements. Consequently, game designers can holistically understand the game experience of older adults and easily find the relevant information. In addition, our empirical research was able to reaffirm the proposals from previous works that sought to improve the usability of a user interface. Furthermore, we also provided new guides for game design, such as touch interaction, game rules, stories, and advertising/payments. We found that most elements that participants were uncomfortable with during gameplay could be applied to all generations, regardless of age. The young generation also experiences difficulties with using touchscreen technologies, but they are better at adopting technological changes [
Mobile game design guides for the middle-aged and older adult population.
Descriptive statistics of participants’ satisfaction levels in each game case.
research question
The authors would like to thank the Anyang senior welfare center and Seoul 50 plus central campus. The authors also appreciate all participants of the Intergenerational Play Workshop held by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in 2019. This research was supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency through the Culture Technology Research and Development Program (Project R2019020010).
None declared.