A Cognitive-Based Board Game With Augmented Reality for Older Adults: Development and Usability Study

Older adults in Taiwan are advised to adopt regular physical and social activities for the maintenance of their cognitive and physical health. Games offer a means of engaging older individuals in these activities. For this study, a collaborative cognitive-based board game, Nostalgic Seekers, was designed and developed with augmented reality technology to support cognitive engagement in older adults.

A user study of the board game was conducted to understand how the game facilitates communication, problem solving, and emotional response in older players and whether augmented reality is a suitable technology in game design for these players.

A total of 23 participants aged 50 to 59 years were recruited to play and evaluate the game. In each session, participants' interactions were observed and recorded, then analyzed through Bales' interaction process analysis. Following each session, participants were interviewed to provide feedback on their experience.

The quantitative analysis results showed that the participants engaged in task-oriented communication more frequently than social-emotional communication during the game. In particular, there was a high number of answers relative to questions. The analysis also showed a significant positive correlation between task-oriented acts and the game score. Qualitative analysis indicated that participants found the experience of playing the game enjoyable, nostalgic objects triggered positive emotional responses, and augmented reality technology was widely accepted by participants and provided effective engagement in the game.

Nostalgic Seekers provided cognitive exercise and social engagement to players and demonstrated the positive potential of integrating augmented reality technology into cognitive-based games for older adults. Future game designs could explore strategies for regular and continuous engagement.