When Gaming is not Suitable for Everyone: Playtesting Wii Games with Frail Elderly Kathrin Gerling, Maic Masuch Entertainment Computing Group University of Duisburg-Essen Forsthausweg 2 47057 Duisburg, Germany +49 (0) 203 1150 {kathrin.gerling, maic.masuch}@uni-due.de ABSTRACT This paper discusses the accessibility of commercially available video games for frail elderly players by providing an exemplary focus group analysis of Wii Sports and Wii Fit mini games. Although recent research results show that engaging with games may have positive effects of the overall well-being of senior citizens, the results of playtesting sessions presented within this paper suggest that not all games are fully accessible to elderly players. While the average perceived playing experience reported in focus group discussions is very positive, observations during the playing sessions suggest a variety of problems ranging from low-level controller issues and the inability to proceed through menu structures to complex effects of demanding in-game challenges and inadequate player feedback. Concluding, we argue that commercial games are not suitable for frail elderly and designing for accessibility needs to go beyond providing simplistic interfaces: To address institutionalized elderly, specifically designed games are necessary to provide a positive gaming experience. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.m [Information Interfaces and Presentation (e.g., HCI)]: Miscellaneous; K.4.2 [Computers and Society]: Social Issues – Assistive technologies for people with disabilities, Handicapped persons/special needs; K.8.0 [Personal Computing]: General - Games. General Terms Measurement, Design, Experimentation, Human Factors. Keywords Focus Groups, Frail Elderly, Game Usability, Accessibility, Player Experience, Silver Gaming 1. INTRODUCTION Recent case studies report various positive effects of playing games on frail elderly persons, and the installment of Nintendo Wii consoles in nursing homes is repeatedly mentioned as a means of encouraging senior citizens to engage in games, interact with peers and remain physically active [8], [15]. However, the issue of game accessibility is only mentioned by few studies [10], [12], or research addresses active elderly players [4], [6], [10], [11]. Hence, psychological effects are examined extensively, but little information is provided regarding elderly users’ interaction with such games. Additional research results examining the needs of elderly audiences highlight the importance of accounting for the player’s abilities when designing digital games [3]. Visual and hearing impairments, sensomotor deficits including decrements in fine motor skills as well as posture and gait are mentioned as prevalent age-related changes among senior citizens [2], [7]. Furthermore, age-related diseases are prominent among frail elderly and may cause severe cognitive and physical impairments [2]. However, commercially available games are seldom designed for accessibility, and it is assumed that despite their casual nature, many Wii games are not suitable for elderly players. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the suitability of the two Wii games Wii Fit and Wii Sports with a focus on the accessibility of input devices and the resulting player experience. Furthermore, the feasibility of casual game concepts is analyzed as a basis for further considerations regarding the development of usable games for elderly players. The following section describes how playtesting sessions featuring different games for Nintendo’s Wii console were introduced to frail elderly players living at a full-care nursing home and summarizes the most important observations. Furthermore, the results of complementary focus group discussions are discussed with a focus on game development for frail elderly. 2. PLAYTESTING SESSIONS Previous research reports that focus groups have successfully been installed to discuss digital games with elderly persons [1], [10], [13]. Furthermore, case studies have shown that playtesting games with senior citizens may provide valuable information about their interactions with the game as well as their gaming experience [9]. In this paper, both methodologies were combined in order to introduce games to elderly living at full-care nursing homes. 2.1 Description of the Group A group of ten senior citizens living in a full-care nursing home in Duisburg, Germany was involved in playtesting Wii games and the focus group interview. The average age was 82 ranging from 67 to 91 with a large majority of people in their mid-eighties. All Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. GAXID‟11, June 28, 2011, Bordeaux, France. Copyright 2010 ACM 1-58113-000-0/00/0010…$10.00.