Reality Check on the Elderly People in Japan Who Go to the Amusement Arcade -Power of Playing Games-

The purpose of this study was to clarify how the elderly adults spend their time in amusement arcade, what their favorite games are, conceivable elements of the games preferred by the elderly, how the elderly interact with the staff members and other customers, and what they think of the power of playing games on elderly people, shall be found out by conducing observational research in amusement arcades and through questionnaire and hearing surveys of staff members working in the amusement arcades. Observational research was done at a total of 63 large-scale amusement arcades. And questionnaire survey was done for 425 full-time employees of amusement arcade operators. Hearing survey was done for 50 full-time employees of amusement arcade operators. As a result of the study, it was found that well-lit amusement arcades with low sound volume tend to attract elderly customers, where they spend their leisure time talking with other elderly customers and staff members while playing games. What the elderly customers wish is to stay in the amusement arcade for a long period of time playing some game with simple rules, rather than to enjoy thrills of playing games or improve the skills to win higher scores. In other words, games, for them, are the means to have communication with other people, and the amusement arcade is a place to deepen a friendship with other people.