Towards Age-friendly Exergame Design: The Role of Familiarity

The design of age-friendly exergames relies heavily on the strategic integration of familiarity to bridge the digital divide and improve rehabilitation outcomes for older populations. By conceptualizing familiarity as a multidimensional construct, developers can better align digital interfaces with the cognitive and emotional needs of elderly users. This approach centers on five core sub-constructs: prior experience, positive emotion, occurrence frequency, level of processing, and retention rate. When these elements are systematically incorporated into game mechanics, they significantly enhance user satisfaction and long-term engagement.

A field study involving 59 older adults in Singapore confirms that games featuring tasks rooted in real-world activities—such as household chores or familiar sports—consistently outperform abstract or unfamiliar digital tasks. Quantitative data and qualitative interviews demonstrate that when exergames leverage a user’s existing cultural and personal history, the barrier to entry is lowered, and the perceived utility of the technology increases. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of rehabilitation tools is directly tied to how well they resonate with the user’s established cognitive frameworks and emotional associations.

To maximize the adoption of these technologies, design guidelines should prioritize meaningful stimuli and real-world correspondence. By grounding digital interactions in familiar contexts, developers can facilitate easier memory processing and improve overall performance among older users. This research underscores the necessity of synthesizing insights from cognitive psychology, gerontology, and human-computer interaction to create inclusive digital environments. Ultimately, infusing familiarity into the design process serves as a critical strategy for ensuring that exergames remain accessible, engaging, and effective tools for the aging population.