On Thursday, March 10, Stichting Sociaal Goud and 8D Games kicked off the project Young and Old in Motion with Virtual Reality project. Students got to work with the elderly using the Oculus Quest 2, virtual reality glasses with hand sensors. The project idea was voted one of the ‘best ideas for a more vital mienskip’ by De Friesland at the end of last year and received an initial contribution to set up the project.
At first glance, it does not seem like a logical combination: gaming, exercise and the elderly. Maarten Stevens, owner of the Leeuwarden game company 8D Games, thinks otherwise: ‘Especially for the elderly, new technologies – such as virtual reality – offer many opportunities. From a familiar environment you can experience something completely new, retrieve memories or move in an accessible way. Especially the hand sensors offer possibilities for fun exercise games in a virtual environment. This can also be done sitting down, which makes the technology very suitable for the elderly. Alderman Luciënne Boelsma, present at the kickoff on behalf of the Municipality of Fryske Marren, also sees the potential: ‘The VR glasses fit in very well with the ambition to age vitally.’
The barrier to getting started with virtual reality is still relatively high, especially for older people. Stevens: “Earlier, in collaboration with Lars Veldmeijer (NHL Stenden) and Social Gold, we developed a virtual reality game that allows elderly people to reminisce. We saw then that it is exciting for the elderly to put on such glasses, but that this excitement quickly turns into pleasure when a helping hand is offered; helping with starting up, explaining how the controllers work. This gave rise to the idea of putting young and old people to work in pairs.
Serious games in healthcare can play play an important role as a form of preventive care, especially in promoting vitality, cognitive stimulation and social interaction. By employing gaming principles and playful technologies such as virtual reality, healthy behavior is not only encouraged, but also sustained. Think of low-threshold exercise games that improve motor skills, memory training through interactive experiences or relaxation games that reduce stress. Such applications make it possible to intervene in a playful way before physical or mental complaints arise. Moreover, the social components in many of these games – such as working together in pairs or sharing experiences – provide more connection and less loneliness. This makes serious games not only a technological innovation, but also a powerful tool to make healthcare future-proof and people-oriented.
That link between young and old is facilitated by Social Gold, a foundation dedicated to the well-being of the elderly and ensuring that innovations reach the real world. Project leader Camée von Bannisseht: ‘Leading up to the project, our students attended a workshop at 8D on how to use the VR glasses and how to take into account any limits that aging brings.’ Initial reactions have been positive, according to Bannisseht: ‘During the kick-off, there was a good discussion about which game or VR experience was appropriate and we saw that the elderly were quickly reassured by our interns.’
Marleen Suurmeijer, director of Social Gold, also sees a future in the project: ‘The beginning is there, but ideally, of course, we want to give as many elderly people as possible a vitality boost and give the young people involved a nice life experience. In the coming time we will look at how we can expand this project more widely in the province.’
At 8D, we support researchers in integrating a design approach into their work, from project design to creative product development and process supervision. This participatory methodologies help solve complex, human-centered issues and embed research results sustainably in society.
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