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The population is getting older, and the resources for care will be even more limited in the future than they are now. So, it’s becoming increasingly important for society that seniors can look after themselves for as long as possible, while maintaining a high quality of life. Physical activity plays a huge part keeping fit, while social contact is important for quality of life.

Our work combined both of those elements, providing state-of-the-art online social exergames for seniors, with glimpses of their opinions and game limitations. It emphasised the importance of motivational techniques and the impact exergames can have on older people. We focused on how health games can be used for physical training and rehabilitation, exploring future opportunities for gamification in eHealth and discussing the respective challenges.

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Across Europe, the demographic shift towards an ageing population presents a big challenge. Healthcare resources are limited, so it’s important that the seniors of tomorrow are able to stay healthy and look after themselves as long as possible. Physical activity is very important for mobility and wellbeing, but it can be hard to get motivated to exercise alone at home. Within rehabilitation, there’s also a need for a more engaging approach than just a sheet of exercises. 

The GameUp project developed fun, motivational exergames particularly targeting the elderly. We took a user-centred approach, collaborating with physiotherapists to make sure the movements we built into the games were good for flexibility, leg strength and balance. Kinect games were developed that could be played at several levels, so those who are at risk of falling could play while seated. The results are featured in our professional portal so they can be used as a rehabilitation tool. 

Find out more about the project.