Senior game
Senior games are games or game materials specially designed for the needs of older people. In general, the term in game education refers to games that are tailored to an audience over 60 years of age. Whether it's a circle of chairs, board and card games, the types of games for senior citizens are as varied as in the entire educational game. There are even ludologists who do not generally consider games related to phases of life and thus superficially deny that senior games are legitimate. Nevertheless, this demarcation to z. B. the youth, adult and children's game make sense. Whereby senior games are generally also to be counted among the adult games. Nevertheless, they still have their own peculiarities that game science deals with.
Seniors board and card games
Card games with large characters and numbers (e.g. cards for skat , rummy , and canasta ) are particularly well known today . Occasionally there are also board games with particularly large game material ( dice , wooden figures). Here, however, the offer has so far been limited to traditional games such as “ Mensch ärgere Dich nicht ” or Halma , often in the form of game collections.
The common board and card games are generally provided with age information, for example "from 8 to 99". Apart from the fact that people are getting older and exceed the limit of 99 (and thus the age for certain games?), Many games are by no means made for seniors. Elderly people have particular problems reading and recognizing symbols if the font size or the contrast to the surrounding areas is too small. In addition to presbyopia , cataracts, etc., there are often restrictions on the ability to grip or sensitivity to small play materials.
A game that is suitable for senior citizens must therefore have pieces that are easy to touch. Have high-contrast large symbols and fonts. Many board games do not meet these criteria today. Younger players certainly also have a limit from which they reject games with too lush design of the game materials, cards and lettering as "games for old people". Games for “8-99” can therefore not be specifically suitable for senior citizens, but only offer a minimum of font and material size.
Very few games have so far been published as special editions with particularly large game material - for example there is a Scrabble version and Monopoly or puzzle and memory games. The reason for this may also lie in the fact that today's old people have not yet grown up in the modern game world and therefore prefer traditional games. In the foreseeable future, however, there will be a change here due to the growing generations.
Games can also have a reputation for being a “senior game”, as can the label “family game with young children”. This applies to many traditional games ( dominoes , also in a more modern form than Triomino ), as well as to “Mensch ärgere Dich nicht” etc. Whereby especially games with low demands - which are easy to play with small children, become “senior games” . However, it is assumed that older people are not able to perform well. A game suitable for senior citizens, on the other hand, should meet higher demands in terms of sociability, memory training and motor skills.
Games for dementia care and prevention
A special area that has increasingly emerged in German-speaking countries since the turn of the millennium are special games for people with dementia or to prevent it. Simple games that require little concentration and memory are suitable for people with dementia . It is mostly about sensory experience and activation of existing emotions and knowledge. They are often used in connection with so-called biography work. There are group games as well as individual or board and card games. Memory games, such as quiz games and brain activation tasks, are often used for prevention or support.
Senior group games
Senior group games are board games with or without materials that you have designed yourself (writing and painting utensils, fabrics, photos, balls). The focus is on diversion, relaxation and social pleasure. They are played in a circle of chairs, at tables or depending on the given rules. They serve to promote orientation skills, physical movement, getting to know one another and as memory training. Often children's games such as " bag packing " are used in a form adapted to the age of the player. Whereby this is judged by some social workers in this area as partly critical, because it would exclude the adulthood of the clientele. Play social pedagogues counter this with the holistic approach to play in all situations.
Use of senior games outside of the senior area
Games specially designed for working with seniors are also suitable for people with disabilities, as there are sometimes similar requirements for the game material. Many forms of handicaps also occur increasingly in old age, such as visual impairments, etc. But so-called senior games are often found in the youth or children's area and are rediscovered or rediscovered by these target groups.
See also
see. also senior mobile phone
literature
Ursula Stöhr, Das Seniorenspielbuch , Juventa Verlag GmbH 2007, ISBN 3-7799-2070-0
