Designing Pervasive Social Interaction Mechanics for Elderly Players: A Multicultural Study Case

Abstract

We present the design process and evaluation of a set of new social interaction mechanics in a mobile, location-based game, developed to explore the effect of variations in design elements in elderly people’s levels of physical activity. The game had previously been evaluated in Kyoto, Japan, and new social interaction mechanics were proposed and evaluated in a different cultural context, Brazil, with a group of elderly volunteers in the Brazilian city of Pelotas. The cultural adaptation was made in a way to preserve the core design principles of the game and allow for evaluation of the new proposed social interactions, which were found to create a more enjoyable and engaging experience for the players.