JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Digital gaming has become increasingly popular among older adults, potentially offering cognitive, social, and physical benefits. However, its broader impact on health and well-being, particularly in real-world settings, remains unclear.

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate the multidimensional effects of digital gaming on health and well-being among older adults, using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) conducted in Matsudo City, Chiba, Japan.

Methods:

Data were drawn from three survey waves (2020 pre-baseline, 2021 baseline, 2022 follow-up) of the JAGES, which targets functionally independent older adults. The exposure variable, digital gaming, was defined as regular video game play and was assessed in 2021. Eighteen outcomes across six domains were evaluated in 2022: Domain 1—Happiness and life satisfaction, Domain 2—Physical and mental health, Domain 3—Meaning and purpose, Domain 4—Character and virtue, Domain 5—Close social relationships, and Domain 6—Health behavior. Ten items from the Human Flourishing Index were included in Domains 1 to 5, with two items for each domain. The overall Flourishing was defined as the average of the means across these five domains. Additionally, seven items related to Domain 2, Domain 5, and Domain 6 were assessed. The final sample consisted of 2,504 participants aged 65 or older, with questionnaires containing the Human Flourishing Index randomly distributed to approximately half of the respondents (Sub-module: n = 1,243). Consequently, we utilized two datasets for analysis. We applied targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) to estimate the population average treatment effects (ATEs), with Bonferroni correction used to adjust for multiple testing.

Results:

Digital gaming was not significantly associated with overall Flourishing or with any of the five domains from the Human Flourishing Index. While initial analyses indicated associations between digital gaming and participation in hobby groups (mean difference = 0.124, p = 0.005) as well as meeting with friends (mean difference = 0.076, p = 0.024), these associations did not remain significant after applying the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. Additionally, digital gaming was not associated with increased sedentary behavior or reduced outdoor activities.

Conclusions:

This study provides valuable insights into the impact of digital gaming on the health and well-being of older adults in a real-world context. While digital gaming did not show a significant association with improvements in flourishing or in the individual items across the five domains, it was also not associated with increased sedentary behavior or reduced outdoor activities. These findings suggest that digital gaming can be part of a balanced lifestyle for older adults, offering opportunities for social engagement, particularly through hobby groups. Considering the solitary nature of gaming, promoting social gaming opportunities may be a promising approach to enhance the positive effects of digital gaming on well-being.