Social Benefits of Playing Wii Bowling for Older Adults

Robyn Schell, Simone Hausknecht, Fan Zhang, David Kaufman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

This research study investigated whether playing a digital game, Wii Bowling, with others can enhance the social life of older adults. Our research used a mixed-methods approach. Results showed that players' levels of social connectedness increased and loneliness declined over an 8-week period. Qualitative results described participants' perceptions of their interactions with others, conversations with family and friends, social connections, and the team experience relating to playing in the multiweek, multilocation Wii Bowling tournament.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)81-103
Number of pages23
JournalGames and Culture
Volume11
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Wii Bowling
  • digital games
  • loneliness
  • older adults
  • social connectedness

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