Exergames for elderly in ambient assisted living environments: Determinants for performance technology acceptance

Abstract

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) environments offer a solution to the challenges of the demographic change by supporting elderly and chronically ill people inside their own home environments. Serious and pervasive games can change people’s attitudes and can promote healthy behavior. However, both concepts are rarely combined and the integration of both concepts is insufficiently explored. We present a user study (n = 64) of an Exergame for AAL environments with the research foci performance and acceptance. Age is the predominant factor for performance, while the intention to use is determined by gaming frequency. Neither technical self-efficacy nor age had considerable influence on these measures. However, the interaction with the game had a considerable positive effect on the participant’s perceived health and pain. The study shows that Exergames in AAL environments are a viable solution to support the autonomy and independence of people in an aging society.