EGRAPA Working Groups
Working Group on Exergames and Exergaming in Older Adults
1. Overview
|
Proposed title of the Working Group
|
Working Group on Exergames and Exergaming in Older Adults (WR_2ExG_OA)
|
|
Main topic / keywords |
Healthy Aging – Neuro-Cognitive Disorders – Cognition – Motor-Cognitive Interactions - Physical Activity – Movement - Virtual Reality – Video Games
|
|
Proposed start date |
01-06-2026 |
2. Thematic Focus
Motivation of the project: Exergames are increasingly incorporated into research on aging and intervention programs for health prevention in aging people since they are promising support to target both physical, brain and cognitive health. However, while several of these studies reported positive effects on cognitive capacities and physical outcomes, the current research landscape presents important limitations. This stem from the fact that most studies have relied predominantly on commercial “off-the-shelf” exergaming products originally designed for entertainment rather than for health promotion or prevention of age-related declines of functional capacities. Moreover, since these products are most often used as “black boxes”, they do not allow revealing the guiding design principles and underlying mechanisms that could make exergames (more) consistently effective, engaging, and appropriate for older adults.
To fulfill this objective, a new agenda for multidisciplinary research and innovation is necessary, necessitating the collaboration between pluri-disciplinary scientists, VR developers, game designers, gerontologists, engineers, clinicians, and end-users. As a contribution in this direction, the creation of a new European Working Group on Exergames (as a technology) and Exergaming (as a training intervention) is aiming to provide a forum for forward-looking discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of exergame research and innovation and to draw clear perspectives for building rigorous, effective, inclusive, and translational research that advances the design of technologies capable of promoting long-term physical activity, brain health, and quality of life in older adulthood.
Summary of the mission of the working group: to foster rigorous, effective, inclusive research and innovations on exergames and exergaming, to advance the design of solutions capable of promoting long-term physical activity, brain health and cognitive efficiency, to improve well-being in older adulthood across Europe.
3. Leadership
|
Leader
|
Jean-Jacques Temprado
|
Aix-Marseille University/ Institute of Movement Science
|
Franceoo
|
|
|
Co-Leader
|
Patrick Manser
|
Department of Neurobiology - Karolinska Institute
|
Sweden
|
4. Members
|
1 |
Antoine Langeard
|
University of Caen - COMETE
|
France
|
|
|
2 |
Christos Gomopoulos
|
University of the Agean
|
Greece
|
|
|
3 |
Elpidio Attoh-Mensah
|
University Limoges - HAVAE
|
France
|
|
|
4 |
Anna-Lisa Martin-Niedecken
|
Institute of Design Research - Zurich
Sphery
|
Swiss
|
|
|
5 |
Manuela Chessa
|
University of Genoa- Dept. of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS)
|
Italy
|
|
|
6 |
Sukran Karaosmanoglu
|
University Hamburg - Human-Computer Interaction - Department of Informatics
|
Germany
|
|
|
7 |
Bettina Wollesen
|
Department Science of Movement-Oriented Prevention and Rehabilitation - German Sports University Cologne
|
Germany
|