I picked up on this very interesting Guardian article on a portion of the elderly population in Japan who are now addicted to video games. A seemingly unlikely target group, this game was first developed as "Brain Training for Adults", a package of cerebral workouts aimed at the over-45s by the Japanese game console and software maker Nintendo, is said to improve mental agility and even slow the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease." The release of similar games for the US market is set for later this year as well.

This addresses an interesting issue around the mental abilities of the elderly, what it's like to grow old and lose some of your capacities, the awareness that you're not as "quick" as you once were, how can we design for a positive and engaging mental attitude in the elderly.

The article ends with a set of tasks which may help provide the brain with some healthy activities: memory tasks, routine changes, playing a musical instrument, exercise and listening to Mozart.

CATEGORY: AGEING