Get Smarter - Play Video Games!
Guy Kawasaki quoted Dr. Richard Restak on ten tips for improving your brain. See http://adjix.com/35yg. I like the first one, myself:
Take up video-gaming. Action video games improve eye-hand coordination, improve spatial visualization skills, and increase the number of things that you can visually attend to simultaneously.In my view, video games, especially the immersive MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, should be standard in every seniors facility. Not only do they provide the brain stimulation as mentioned by Restak above, but they are opportunities for social interaction, personal challenge and achievement, and provide a rich virtual environment in which to play and learn.
Players in WoW and other similar games interact with others of all ages, cultures and nationalities through the course of the game. They are continually given problems to solve (quests) and confronted with situations that require collaboration (dungeons) or research (what gear should I choose?). These activities tie into #2 and #8 in the article quoted above.
We didn't really need excuses to play video games, but it's good to have expert support for this fun activity. And if you can't visit great-grandma as often as you like, at least make sure her subscription to WoW is up to date.
Labels: baby boomers, brainstorming, learning, MMORPGs, seniors, video games, World of Warcraft
posted by Beth @ 12:20 PM
1 Comments:
I suspect that the greatest hurdle to the adoption of computer games by the elderly is their perception of them. As well as society's in general, I suppose.
Games are largely viewed to be an immature pursuit, and accompanied by the idea that they are for children. Thus, by extension, those who play them are immature.
This idea has been eroding over time, but I think that MMOs may be the last unfortunate bastion. Admittedly, WoW has done a great deal to alter this. I'm curious to see if Blizzard's future offerings will manage to attract an even greater audience.
That said, I look forward to becoming old and infirm, and griefing the hell out of 'those darn kids'.
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