Narratives are an intimate part of our lives. Based on behavioral research suggesting that older adults tend to process text better at discourse level, this study investigates the impact of narrative structure on the enjoyment level of older game players. Two variations of a casual memory mobile game were built, one with a narrative and the other one without. Nineteen senior citizens, differentiated according to their play orientation, play-tested the games. Results show that embedding narratives in mobile games enhances the play experience of older adults, irrespective of their play style. This may have implications both for game developers and for seniors’ acceptance of casual games.

Item Type:	Refereed Conference Paper
Keywords:	Narrative structure, Elderly, Enjoyment, Mobile games
Research Division:	Information and Computing Sciences
Research Group:	Information Systems
Research Field:	Computer-Human Interaction
Objective Division:	Information and Communication Services
Objective Group:	Computer Software and Services
Objective Field:	Application Tools and System Utilities
UTAS Author:	Duh, HBL (Professor Henry Duh)
ID Code:	90294
Year Published:	2010
Deposited By:	Information and Communication Technology
Deposited On:	2014-03-31
Last Modified:	2014-12-08
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