Can playing video games help seniors age better?

A new research project launched by Simon Fraser Universityis exploring howseniors might benefit from playing video games.

Andrew Sixsmithis a professor of gerontology andthescientific director of Age Well,a national research network looking at technology and aging.

"We need to make the devices easier to use for people and we need to make them more accessible to people," he toldSaskatoon MorninghostLeishaGrebinski.

The Connect Playproject will research online games specifically for seniors. It will also aim to create and marketsome games.

In surveyingwhat kind of leisure activityseniors engage in, Sixsmithwas surprised to see a fair amount of gaming, everything fromsolitaire to World ofWarcraft. He also noted examples of some activity projects whereWii sports have been used successfully.

"It's the same sortof benefits that anybody has from playing games. Some people just do it because they like them, they enjoy playing them. Others do it for social reasons," Sixsmith said of video games' benefits.

He said he's not convinced at this point there is enough evidence to conclude gaming boosts cognitive powers. But he is seeing positive results when it comes to social activity.

Sixsmithsaid we shouldn't assume that older people are technophobes or uninterested in new technologies.

If anything, theeconomic status of many seniorsmight prevent them from having access to devices and video games, and he'd like to see more development directed at that age group.

Sixsmithsaid anotherprojectis to set up a Wii bowling league with people in long term care.