Wii Gaming for Older Players: From Motivation to Appropriation, and Usability to User Experience

This study examines how older adults in supported housing engage with the Nintendo Wii, focusing on Wii Sports Bowling as part of an Age Concern sheltered housing initiative in Brighton, UK. Motivated by population ageing and the relatively slow uptake of new technologies among older people, the authors investigate whether embodied multiplayer games can support health, wellbeing, and social connectedness. Their central argument is that usability problems encountered by residents derive their meaning from the social context in which play occurs, so that difficulties that would count as failures in other settings were often not perceived as problems by these players.

The research followed residents over roughly four months, tracing their trajectory from initial preconceptions about technology through first contact with Wii Sports, to regular weekly bowling sessions, and finally to a high-profile inter-housing competition and conference attended by researchers and local council officials. The data combine interviews with residents and scheme organisers with analysis of video footage from game sessions. Using usability concepts from HCI literature, including learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction, the authors catalogue the interface and controller issues that affected players, particularly early on, and then broaden the analysis to overall user experience.

Key findings emphasise that the social setting gave play its value, fostering group identity and camaraderie even during episodes that might otherwise be read as breakdowns in gameplay. The authors also highlight the role of training, mentorship, and ongoing support in sustaining interest and motivation, and they describe the styles of play and controller techniques through which residents came to feel in control of the game. The study's implications point toward improvements in social contact, entertainment, and physical activity for older people, as well as the potential for such play to bridge generations within families and to introduce older adults to technology they may later adopt for their own purposes.