Technology keeps people of all ages connected

June 2012 By Gary M. Kaye Special to PRIME In the library of the Middlebrook Farms Senior Living Community in Trumbull, Conn., an 84-year-old grandmother is receiving help from a volunteer so she can play Tic Tac Toe with her grandson, 500 miles away. It's her first exposure to a computer, and she's thrilled to be connected. They are playing via email and the game is slow, but it means she's connected. In living rooms, retirement homes, assisted living facilities, and on kitchen tables, similar scenes are occurring. Seniors are playing games. And not just games, but socially networked games on websites like Facebook. They are playing "Words With Friends," "CityVille," and "Hidden Chronicles," all from Zynga. In recent weeks, Ludia and FreemantleMedia introduced "The Price is Right Slots," a game based on the long running television game show. Zynga also added "Zynga Bingo." Why the popularity of social network games? According to Jason Brown, Zynga's Vice President for Player Insights, "Today's seniors are tech savvier than ever. This age group is the fastest growing group of Facebook and smartphone users; so it's a natural transition to be drawn to Zynga games." Seventy-six year old John Hymore lives in northern Ohio. His 55-year-old daughter Deborah Ostafi lives a few hours away in northern Kentucky. John was first to play games on Facebook, initially with FarmVille, and then he migrated to CityVille, a game that emulates building and runnng a city, complete with politics and infrastructure. John says the games help him keep his mind active and engaged, "I've been retired for 20 years and needed to do something besides yard work and watching TV. I like to do the things the game asks, I like to try to figure out where to put buildings and people." Deborah said, "Dad begged me for months to start playing with him. Finally I gave it a try." Now they play for at least two or three hours every day. They use the messaging feature to exchange notes and stay up to date with each other's lives. John says, "We have closeness there, closer than we normally are. I know she's thinking about me, and she sends me 'I love you' notes." For sixty-five-year-old, retired special education teacher Kathleen Eichmann, living outside Milwaukee, Wis., the game of choice is "Words With Friends." Zynga's socially networked version of Scrabble®. Kathleen admits, "I've always been a word freak I enjoy going to the dictionary and looking up words. I'll use an online Scrabble® cheat If it's not a word I know. While I enjoy scrabble on my iPad, there's something more to playing with a live person." Kathleen discovered the game as she prepared for knee surgery, "My friends had it on their smartphones. I decided to get an iPad and loaded the game. My sister started four simultaneous games with me. I beat her and just about everyone else I knew, often by more than a hundred points. I like to play competitively and finally found an anonymous player online who can really challenge me. However, with my friends I play more friendly games." Zynga's Jason Brown says the company makes games to appeal to the broadest demographic range, but he's not at all surprised baby boomers and seniors are gravitating to them, "Many of our games remind seniors of the games from their youth. They also have social features that allow players to connect with friends and family in a meaningful way, even when they can't be together. Many players use in-game chat functions to send quick notes to their loved ones, or say that seeing their family and friends visit their farms and tend their crops is a nice way to know they're in their thoughts. We hear from many players that our games are helping them stay in closer touch with their grandkids." Researchers who specialize in aging say that socialization is the most important factor in keeping seniors healthy, even more important than attending to their health needs. If that's the case, then maybe I'll be joining you down on the FarmVille.