| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺中科技大學 === 商業設計系碩士班 === 107 === In 2018, Taiwan officially entered the stage of an aged society. Thus, identifying methods to slow down aging in senior citizens and improving their cognitive and physical functions are of the utmost importance. Previous studies have shown that board games can help eliminate negative emotions, enhance cognition-related skills such as communication skills, enable players to learn, and facilitate social interaction. However, only a few board games for senior citizens are commercially available in Taiwan.
This study adopted the assistive device concept to form principles for designing senior citizens’ board games. Methods such as field observation, interview, and questionnaire survey were employed to analyze board games that were currently sold in Taiwan and abroad and derive design principles for developing board games for Taiwanese senior citizens. A test board game was invented, from which lessons were learned and design and application-related suggestions were made. The study results are as follows: (a) three board game themes and 14 board game mechanisms suitable for Taiwanese senior citizens were identified; (b) commercially available children’s board games that were suitable for senior citizens were determined, and a recommendation was made to include the label “suitable for senior citizens” and a Judgment, Orientation, Memory, Abstract Thinking, and Calculation cognitive analysis table on the game packages; and (c) a board game prototype called “Enjoy the Festivals” that featured a game theme and graphic design appealing to senior citizens was designed. Test results showed that the game mechanics and cognitive training concepts offered by “Enjoy the Festivals” met those demanded of leisure and skill training-oriented assistive devices.
The results of this study can serve as references to board game-related designers, therapists, social workers, and service personnel to provide preventive care to senior citizens.
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