Inclusive VR gaming with older adults: Accessibility of entertainment and educational VR games

Abstract

Educational content has already been made for VR glasses worldwide, for primary school, vocational, and university-level education. Immersive learning environments often simulate real working-life situations so that students can practice in a safe environment. Older adults should be included in the technologizing society also in the form of VR games. Furthermore, understanding of how educational games are accessible to older adults is still limited. It is thought that there are general barriers to older adults' use of (game) technology, such as negative psychological perception of technology, as well as physiological barriers due to visual, hearing, and other physical disabilities. Hence, this article examines the utilization of educational and entertainment VR games and their perceived ease of use according to four accessibility principles among older adults. The results of this qualitative study are based on data analysis based on structured qualitative measures observations and interviews. The results point to several issues related to accessibility such as VR headsets not fitting user heads, intuitive game controls, and differences in mechanics understandability between entertainment and educational VR games. The lack of hand visibility made the educational VR game harder to control. The study revealed that participants with more experience using a smartphone and a computer knew how to use the VR game controls without problems. Using a game controller produced issues for the participants who did not own a smartphone. However, like the younger audience, the older adults seem eager to participate in educational VR games and entertainment VR games.