Supporting Aging Well through Accessible Digital Games: The Supplemental Role of AI in Game Design for Older Adults

Abstract: As the population continues to age, and gaming continues to grow as a hobby for older people, heterogeneity among older adult gamers is increasing. We argue that traditional game-based accessibility features, such as simplified input schemes, redundant information channels, and increased legibility of digital user interfaces, are increasingly limited in the face of this heterogeneity. This is because such features affect all older adult players simultaneously and therefore are designed generically. We introduce artificial intelligence, although it has its own limitations and ethical concerns, as a method of creating player-based accessibility features, given the adaptive nature of the emerging technology. These accessibility features may help to address unique assemblage of accessibility needs an individual may accumulate through age. We adopt insights from gerontology, HCI, and disability studies into the digital game design discourse for older adults, and we contribute insight that can guide the integration of player-based accessibility features to supplement game-based counterparts. The accessibility of digital games for heterogenous older adult audience is paramount, as the medium offers short-term social, emotional, psychological, cognitive, and physical that support the long-term goal of aging well.