Digital games are increasingly an integral part of daily life for people of all ages and genders. Based on a Foucauldian notion of power and discourse, the central question discussed here is how people above the age of 60 and their engagement with digital games are constituted within existing research. The available literature can be separated into two distinct themes focusing on shaping and maintaining the player and the player’s relation to games. A highly functionalistic approach to the use of digital games runs through much of the research due to its preoccupation with social, mental, and bodily health or with the needs of the game industry. This tendency is linked to notions of economical productivity, a theme that is analyzed on the basis of theory formations from cultural gerontology as well as in relation to power and discipline.
AdamsE. (2010). Fundamentals of game design. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
2.
AlankusG.ProffittR.KelleherC.EngsbergJ. (2011). Stroke therapy through motion-based games: A case study. Transactions on Accessible Computing, 4, 1–3:35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2039339.2039342
3.
AllaireJ.McLaughlinA.TrujilloA.WhitlockL.LaPorteL.GandyM. (2013). Successful aging through digital games: Socioemotional differences between older adult gamers and non-gamers. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 1302–1306.
4.
AllenA. (2011). Foucault and the politics of our selves. History of the Human Sciences, 24, 43–59.
5.
AlvessonM. (2003). Beyond neo-positivists, romanticists, and localists: A reflexive approach to interviews in organisational research. The Academy of Management Review, 28, 13–33.
BakardjievaM.GardenG. (2012). Web 2.0 technologies of the self. Philosophy and Technology, 25, 399–413.
8.
BasakC.BootW.VossM.KramerA. (2008). Can training in a real-time strategy video game attenuate cognitive decline in older adults?Psychology and Aging, 23, 765–777.
9.
BiggsS. (2004). New ageism: Age imperialism, personal experience and ageing policy. In DaatlandO.BiggsS. (Eds.). Ageing and diversity: Multiple pathways and cultural migrations (pp. 95–106). Bristol, England: Policy Press.
10.
BiggsS.PhillipsonC.LeachR.MoneyA. (2007). The mature imagination and consumption strategies: Age and generation in the development of a United Kingdom baby boomer identity. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 2, 31–59.
11.
BlaikieA. (2004). The search for ageing identities. In DaatlandO.BiggsS. (Eds.). Ageing and diversity: Multiple pathways and cultural migrations (pp. 79–93). Bristol, England: Policy Press.
12.
BleakleyC.CharlesD.Porter-ArmstrongA.McNeillM.McDonoughS.McCormackB. (2013). Gaming for health: A systematic review of the physical and cognitive effects of interactive computer games in older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology. doi:10.1177/0733464812470747
13.
BrijnathB.MandersonL. (2008). Discipline in Chaos: Foucault, dementia and ageing in India. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 32, 607–626.
14.
BrownJ. (2012). Let’s play: Understanding the role and meaning of digital games in the lives of older adults. In El-NasrM. S. (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (pp. 273–275). New York, NY: ACM.
15.
CailloisR. (2001/1958). Man, play and games (BarashM., Trans.). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
16.
ClarkR.KraemerT. (2009). Clinical use of Nintendo Wii bowling simulation to decrease fall risk in an elderly resident of a nursing home: A case report. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 34, 174–180.
17.
CohenL. (1992). No ageing in India: The uses of gerontology. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 16, 123–161.
18.
CouplandJ. (2009). Time, the body and the reversibility of ageing: Commodifying the decade. Ageing and Society, 29, 953–976.
19.
DerbovenJ.Van GilsM.De GroofD. (2012). Designing for collaboration: A study in intergenerational game design. Universal Access in the Information Society, 11, 57–65.
20.
De SchutterB.Vanden AbeeleV. (2010). Designing meaningful play within the psycho-social context of older adults. In Vanden AbeeleV.ZamanB.ObristM.IJsselsteijnW. (Eds.,). Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Fun and Games (pp. 84–93). Leuven, Belgium: ACM.
21.
De SchutterB. (2011). Never too old to play: The appeal of digital games to an older audience. Games and Culture, 6, 155–170.
22.
De SchutterB.BrownJ.Vanden AbeeleV. (2014a). The domestication of digital games in the lives of older adults. New Media & Society. doi:10.1177/1461444814522945
23.
De SchutterB.MailletS. (2014b). The older player of digital games: A classifications based on perceived needs and satisfaction. Communications, 39, 67–88.
24.
DogruelL.JöckelS.BowmanN. (2012). Analyzing influencing factors on elderly people’s perceived ease of use of interactive media. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association. Phoenix, AZ: ICA. Retrievedhttp://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p554954_index.html
FeatherstoneM.HepworthM. (1995). The mask of ageing and the postmodern life course. In FeatherstoneM.HepworthM. (Eds.) The body: Social process and cultural theory (pp. 371–389). London, England: Sage.
27.
FoucaultM. (1982). The subject and power. Critical Inquiry, 8, 777–795.
28.
FoucaultM. (1988). Technologies of the self. In LutherM.GutmanH.HuttonP. (Eds.), Technologies of the self—A seminar with Michel Foucault (pp. 16–49). Amherst, MA: The University of Massachusetts Press.
29.
FoucaultM. (1991/1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison (SheridanA. Trans.). London, England: Penguin Books.
30.
FoucaultM. (1994/1980). Interview with Michel Foucault. In FaubionJ. (Ed.), Power: Essential works of Foucault 1954–1984 (HurleyR. Trans., pp. 239–297). London, England: Penguin Books.
31.
FoucaultM. (2010/1972). The archaeology of knowledge and the discourse on language (SmithA. Trans.). New York, NY: Vintage Books.
32.
FullertonT. (2008). Game design workshop: A playcentric approach to creating innovative games. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
33.
GadamerH.-G. (2004/1975). Truth and method (WiensheimerJ.MarshallG., Trans.). London, England: Contiuum.
34.
GajadharB.NapH.de KortY.IJsselsteijnW. (2010). Out of sight, out of mind: Co-player effects on seniors’ player experience. In Vanden AbeeleV.ZamanB.ObristM.IJsselsteijnW. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Fun and Games (pp. 74–83). Leuven, Belgium: ACM.
35.
GerlingK.LivingstonI.NackeL.MandrykR. (2012). Full-body motion-based game interaction for older adults. In Proceedings of CHI’12 (pp. 1873–1882). Austin, TX: ACM.
36.
GerlingK.SchildJ.MasuchM. (2010). Exergame design for elderly users: The case study of SilverBalance. In ShenV.DuhH.InamiM. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (pp. 66–69). Taipei, Taiwan: ACM.
37.
GerlingK.SchulteF.MasuchM. (2011). Designing and evaluating digital games for frail elderly persons. In RomãoT.CorreiaN.InamiM.KatoH.PradaR.TeradaT.DiasE. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology(article 62). Lisbon, Portugal: ACM. doi:10.1145/2071423.2071501
38.
GeorgeD.WhitehouseP. (2011). Marketplace of memory: What the brain fitness technology industry says about us and how we can do better. The Gerontologist, 51, 590–596.
39.
GilleardC.HiggsP. (2009). Ageing without agency: Theorizing the fourth age. Aging & Mental Health, 14, 121–128.
40.
GilleardC.HiggsP. (2013). The fourth age and the concept of a ‘social imaginary’: A theoretical excursus. Journal of Aging Studies, 27, 368–376.
41.
GoldsteinJ.CajkoL.OosterbroekM.MichielsenM.Van HoutenO.SalverdaF. (1997). Video games and the elderly. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 25, 345–352.
42.
GordonC. (1991). Governmental rationality: An introduction. In BurchellG.GordonC.MillerP. (Eds.), The Foucault effect: Studies in governmentality (pp. 1–51). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
43.
GrahamL. (2011). The product of text and ‘other statements’: Discourse analysis and the critical use of Foucault. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 43, 663–674.
44.
GunnarssonE. (2011). Older people’s meaning of everyday life and the lived body. In WorsfoldB. (Ed.). Acculturating age: Approaches to cultural gerontology (pp. 89–104). Lleida, Spain: Edicions i Publcacions de la Universitat de Lleida.
45.
HallA.ChavarriaE.ManeeratanaV.ChaneyB.BernhardtJ. (2012). Health benefits of digital videogames for older adults: A systematic review of the literature. Games for Health Journal, 1, 402–410.
46.
HardyS.GöbelS.SteinmetzR. (2013). Adaptable and personalized game-based training system for fall prevention. In JaimesA.SebeN.BoujemaaN. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 21st ACM International Conference on Multimedia. Barcelona, Spain: ACM.
47.
HuizingaJ. (1992/1950). Homo ludens: A study of the play element in culture. Boston, MA: The Beacon Press.
48.
IJsselsteijnW.NapH.de KortY.PoelsK. (2007). Digital game design for elderly users. In KapralosB.KatchabawM.RajnovichJ. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2007 conference on Future Play (pp. 17–22). Toronto: ACM.
49.
JanssenS.TangeH.ArendsR. (2013). A preliminary study of the effectiveness of exergame Nintendo “Wii Fit Plus” on the balance of nursing home residents. Games for Health Journal, 2, 89–95.
50.
JolankiO. (2009). Agency in talk about old age and health. Journal of Ageing Studies, 23, 215–226.
51.
JungY.LiK. J.JanissaN. S.GladysW. L. C.LeeK. M. (2007). Games for a better life: Effects of playing Wii games on the well-being of seniors in a long-term care facility. In RyanM. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Sixth Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment(article 5). Sydney, Australia: ACM. doi:10.1145/1746050.1746055
52.
KahlbaughP.SperandioA.CarslonA.HauseltJ. (2011). Effects of playing Wii on well-being in the elderly: Physical activity, loneliness, and mood. Activities, Adaptation and Ageing, 35, 331–344.
53.
KatzS. (1996). Disciplining old age: The formation of gerontological knowledge. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.
54.
KhooE.MerrittT.CheokA.YeoK. (2007). Age invaders: User studies of intergenerational computer entertainment. Entertainment Computing, 4740, 231–242.
55.
KleinN. (2010/2000). No logo. London, England: Fourth Estate.
56.
KosterR. (2004). A theory of fun for game design. Scottsdale, AZ: Paraglyph Press.
57.
LarsenL.SchouL.LundH.LangbergH. (2013). The physical effect of exergames in healthy elders: A systematic review. Games for Health Journal, 2, 205–212.
58.
LaslettP. (1989). A fresh map of life: The emergence of the third age. London, England: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
59.
LevyL.GandyM.SolomonR.McLaughlinA.AllaireJ.WhitlockL. (2012). Fear of failure: Gender differences in older adult gamers. In El-NasrM. S. (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (pp. 292–293). Raleigh, NC: ACM.
60.
MaillotP.PerrotA.HartleyA. (2012). Effects of interactive physical-activity video-game training on physical and cognitive function in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 27, 589–600.
61.
MarhánkováJ. (2011). Leisure in old age: Disciplinary practices surrounding the discourse of active ageing. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 6, 5–32.
62.
MarstonH. (2013a). Design recommendations for digital game design within an ageing society. Educational Gerontology, 39, 103–118.
63.
MarstonH. (2013b). Digital gaming perspectives of older adults: Content vs. interaction. Educational Gerontology, 39, 194–208.
64.
MarstonH.GreenlayS.van HoofJ. (2013). Understanding the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Kinetic consoles in long-term care facilities. Technology and Disability, 25, 77–85.
65.
MarstonH.SmithS. (2012). Interactive videogame technologies to support independence in the elderly: A narrative review. Games for Health Journal, 1, 139–152.
66.
MartinezA.MoránA.GámezE. (2012). Towards a taxonomy of factors implicated in children-elderly interaction when using entertainment technology. In ZepedaS. (Ed.), MexIHC ’12 (pp. 51–54). Mexico City, Mexico: ACM.
67.
McCallumS.BoletisC. (2013). Dementia games: A literature review of dementia-related serious games. In Serious Games Development and Applications (pp. 15–27). Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
68.
McKayS.MakiB. (2010). Attitudes of older adults toward shooter video games: An initial study to select an acceptable game for training visual processing. Gerontechnology, 9, 5–17.
69.
MillerK.AdairB.PearceA.SaidC.OzanneE.MorrisM. (2014). Effectiveness and feasibility of virtual reality and gaming system use at home by older adults for enabling physical activity to improve health related domains: A systematic review. Age and Ageing, 43, 188–195.
70.
MubinO.ShahidS.Al MahmudA. (2008). Walk 2 win: Towards designing a mobile game for elderly’s social engagement. In Proceedings of the 22nd British HCI Group Annual Conference on People and Computers: Culture, creativity, interaction vol. 2 (pp. 11–14). Swinton, England: ACM.
71.
NackeL.NackeA.LindleyC. (2009). Brain training for silver gamers: Effects of age and game form on effectiveness, efficiency, self-assessment, and gameplay experience. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 12, 493–499.
72.
NakamuraL. (2012). Queer female of colour: The hardest difficulty setting there is? Gaming rhetoric as gender capital. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media and Technology, 1, doi:10.7264/N37P8W9V
NimrodG. (2011). The fun culture in seniors’ online communities. The Gerontologist, 51, 226–237.
75.
Nordicom-Sverige. (2012). De första resultaten fra Nordicom-Sveriges mediebarometer 2012. Göteborg, Sweden: Nordicom-Sverige.
76.
O’BrienD.KnappR.ThompsonO.McPhilD.BarrettS. (2013). An exploration of seniors’ motivation to use mobile brain-exercise software. Gerontechnology, 11, 436–444.
77.
PearceC. (2009). The truth about baby boomer gamers: A study of over-forty computer game players. Games and Culture, 3, 142–174.
78.
QuandtT.GrueningerH.WimmerJ. (2009). The gray haired gaming generation: Findings from an explorative interview study on older computer gamers. Games and Culture, 4, 27–46.
79.
RiceM.WanM.FooM.NgJ.WaiZ.KwokJ.TeoL. (2011). Evaluating gesture-based games with older adults on a large screen display. In TaylorT. L. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Sandbox Conference (pp. 17–24). Vancouver, Canada: ACM.
80.
RiceM.TanW.OngJ.YauL.WanM.NgJ. (2013). Evaluating gesture-based games with older adults on a large screen display. In MackayW. (Ed.), Proceedings of CHI 2013: Changing Perspectives (pp. 1081–1090). Paris, France: ACM.
81.
RiddickC.DroginE.SpectorS. (1987). The impact of videogame play on the emotional states of senior centre participants. The Gerontologist, 27, 425–427.
82.
RoyseP.LeeJ.UndrahbuyanB.HopsonM.ConsalvoM. (2007). Women and games: Technologies of the gendered self. New Media and Society, 9, 555–576.
83.
SalenK.ZimmermanE. (2004). Rules of play. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
84.
SchuerenB. (1986). Video games: An exploration of their potential as recreational activity programs in nursing homes. Activities, Adaptation, Ageing, 8, 49–58.
85.
ShawA. (2012). Do you identify as a gamer? Gender, race, sexuality, and gamer identity. New Media & Society, 14, 28–44.
86.
SilesI. (2012). Web technologies of the self: The arising of the “blogger” identity. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17, 408–421.
87.
SmeddinckJ.GerlingK.TiemkoS. (2013). Visual complexity, player experience, performance and physical exertion in motion-based games for older adults. In Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. New York, NY: ACM. doi:10.1145/2513383.2517029
88.
SternY.BlumenH.RichL.RichardsA.HerzbergG.GopherD. (2011). Space Fortress game training and executive control in older adults: A pilot intervention. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 18, 653–667.
89.
StudenskiS.PereraE.HileV.KellerV.Spadola-BogardJ.GarciaJ. (2010). Interactive video dance games for healthy older adults. The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, 14, 850–852.
90.
Sutton-SmithB. (2001/1997). The ambiguity of play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
91.
SuitsB. (2005/1978). Games, life and utopia. Peterborough, England: Broadview Press.
92.
ThengY.ChuaP.PhamT. (2012). Wii as entertainment and socialisation aid for the mental and social health of the elderly. In KonstanJ. (Ed.), Proceedings of CHI’12 (pp. 691–702). Austin, TX: ACM.
93.
VaageO. (2012). Norsk mediebarometer 2012. Oslo, Norway: Statistics Norway.
94.
van LeeuwenL.WestwoodD. (2008). Adult play, psychology and design. Digital Creativity, 19, 153–161.
95.
VasconcelosA.SilvaP.CaseiroJ.NunesF.TeixeiraL. (2012). Designing tablet-based games for seniors: The example of CogniPlay, a cognitive gaming platform. In IbisterK. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Fun and Games (pp. 1–10). Toulouse, France: ACM. doi:10.1145/2367616.2367617
96.
VoidaA.GreenbergS. (2012). Console gaming across generations: Exploring the intergenerational interactions in collocated console gaming. Universal Access in the Information Society, 11, 45–46.
97.
WetherellM. (1998). Positioning and interpretative repertoires: Conversation analysis and Post-Structuralism in dialogue. Discourse and Society, 9, 387–412.
98.
WhitecombR. (1990). Computer games for the elderly. In RosenbergR. (Ed.), Proceedings of the conference on computers and the quality of life (pp. 112–115). New York, NY: ACM.
99.
YeeS.DuhH.QuekF. (2010). Investigating narrative in mobile games for seniors. In MynattE. (Ed.), Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 669–672). Atlanta, GA: ACM.
