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Best Type of Game for Seniors

Video games – whether played on a computer or mobile phone – offer a unique opportunity for seniors to indulge in not only fun but also an activity that could improve their cognition.  According to the National Institute of Aging, a division of the National Institute of Health (NIH), research showed an improvement in memory in just four weeks by just playing for 30 minutes a day. 

Memories

The research pointed specifically to improvements in hippocampal memories.  The hippocampus (if you remember) is a crucial part of the brain that plays a role in memory, spatial recognition, and navigation.  In those with Alzheimer’s disease, the hippocampus is one of the first areas that is damaged. 

Types of Games

In the NIH study, the type of video game that showed the most significant improvement was immersive three dimensional (i.e,. modern games involving exploration of worlds) games in contrast to two dimensional games (i.e., solitaire).  Now we’re not going to sit here and recommend or expect you should start playing a deep, complex game like Elder Scrolls.  However, even quasi-two dimensional games like Angry Birds showed improvements. 

Choosing a Game

Here are some things to consider:

1. Board vs. Video Game:  While we’ve cited research on video games, a non-linear, open game like chess is obviously great
2. Solo vs. collaborative play vs. AI:  Playing a game could be an opportunity to socialize as much as a way to alone time
3. Genre vs. purpose:  For seniors one could argue purpose – in this case using games to maintain and even improve memory and cognition is more important than whether the game itself is a puzzle or strategy game
4. Action vs. Turn-Based:  An action based game can improve hand-eye coordination.  However, for seniors focused on cognition, physical limitations may get in the way of a good game so a turn-based game might be more helpful
5. Luck vs. Skill:  A purely random game like Bingo which does not involve any decisions is not going to be as helpful as a game like Go which is many times more complex than even chess

5 Websites to Play Free Games for Seniors

To get started in your video game journey, we recommend starting with a game you feel comfortable and then working your way up towards more complex games. 

AARP:  Has surprisingly has a large number of free and member only games to play across a variety of genres

Chess.com:  Great because you can play vs. a computer or real players

Washington Post:  Has a wonderful free daily crossword puzzle though you better sharpen your mental pencil to complete it.  If you’re looking for an easy one, USA Today also has a free one that claims to be easy

Sudoko.com:  A wide range of Sudoko with difficultty levels from easy to “evil”

Angry Birds:  Last but not least the NIH study specifically called out this game (though important to point out that while the study used the game, it isn’t an indication that it is the best game for seniors to improve cognition).  It appears mostly geared towards the Google or Apple app stores to play on your phone or tablet