7.1 Somatosensory game for physical health and social engagement
The statistics collected from the 6 month program indicated that playing game regularly may help elderly physically and socially.
The physical fitness test of experimental group between posttest and pretest data showed statistically significant improvement. The trend analysis also confirms the improvement is linear throughout the 6 month intervention. On the other hand, none of the variables in control group become better.
On the quality of life issue, SF8 health survey revealed that the physical component summary(PCS) of experimental group was enhanced. The mental component summary(MCS) of experimental group did not change.
The cluster analysis of seniors' social network confirms that the elderly make more friends while playing games.
7.2 Serious game for easier adoption
Even with the successful outcome, the promotion of the program still face uphill challenge with constraints like funding, playing space, gaming equipment and onsite assistants. For future applications, researchers and practitioners may consider developing new or utilizing existing serious games for health. Serious game is a game designed for purposes other than fun. It was first proposed by Clark Abt in 1970.
There are a few reasons that we favor the term, serious game. First of all, by definition, our intervention program is one kind of serious games. With the end of Kinect product line, the low cost somatosensory games in the market have become hard to come by. Rather than sticking to somatosensory games, organizations may choose serious games that may come in more variety of formats as they see fit. This mindset shift may help facilitate the organizations' adoption in application of games for health.
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Secondly, when extending to the serious game concept, organizations may add learning (education) element into game program design. This may generate additional flavor for the program and could potentially attract more seniors to join and stick with the program.
Last but not the least, in additional to health promotion purpose of our intervention, serious games can be tailored for different stages of disease such as health monitoring, health detection, treatment/therapy, and rehabilitation. This provides added tools for healthcare professionals.
So a mindset shift from somatosensory game to serious game can open up broader health applications to larger target audience. This could help spread the similar program implementation.
7.3 Business model innovation for sustainable scale-up
For organizations that want to expand on this senior health gaming concept and scale-up, a viable business model would need to be tested and proven in the marketplace. There are high expectations for the growing silver economy; yet the seniors are more reluctant to pay for product or service that they don't deem essential.
This wreaks havoc for companies that target their products/services on the elderly.
By applying Osterwalder et al. (2010)(Osterwalder & Pigneur, 2010) business model tool, five patterns are worthy of exploring:
Unbundling business models:
Organizations should focus on one of three business types: product innovation, customer relationship or infrastructure. In 2008 Asus ComputerTek unbundled its OEM division and created a separate company, Pegatron. Asus focuses on branded computer while Pegatron stays with OEM manufacturing root. By doing so, both Asus and Pegatron blossom. By the same token, the health gaming business unit in a large company can be considered unbundling into individual entity to prevent conflicts.
Long tail:
Internet allows companies to sell niche products to large number customers, a phenomenon called long tail. For example, Twitch creates a platform connecting game players and viewers. If a company can build a platform allowing elderly broadcasting their gaming activities, it might establish a profitable business with long tail of user generated games for seniors.
Multiple-sided platforms:
The Eslite is a thriving bookstore chain in Taiwan. It does not make profit on selling books but on the rent and profit sharing from contracted restaurants and design shops surrounding its book stores. Consumers are attracted to Eslite for its cozy reading environment, and often end up buying stuff other than books.
Likewise, a serious game for health business model may not make profit from the older adults playing games, but from the store selling other products or services (e.g. nutritional supplement, cosmetic product for the elderly).
FREE as a business model
All the sports centers run by Taipei City offer the "get the basic for free, pay for more" model. Some facilities in sports centers are free to senior citizens for a certain hours of the day. Older adults are attracted to visit sports centers during free hours. Sometimes they pay to stay longer or invite younger family members who pay. Following the same logic, a company may offer free basic services to the elderly with paid premium services.
Open business models
Lots of health statistics of the elderly are collected in the program that may be used by doctors for health prevention, rehabilitation or disease treatment. A health gaming company may partner with hospitals and research institutions by providing the statistics and in return getting feedback on designing better exercise games or medical treatment for the elderly. Or they could become a market research company by understanding the elderly's behaviors and preferences. If they could paint the detailed picture of the world of the elderly, they may sell the insights to companies serving senior market.
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All these business models above are just ideas that have to be tested in the market for its validity. Prototyping and piloting are needed to gain more insights. The more organizations try out innovative business models, the closer we will be getting to bring active ageing into reality.
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