elderlyplaygames.jpgSally Ryan for The New York Times

For those people that have visions of the elderly playing bridge and relaxing in rocking chairs while living out the end of their lives in retirement homes, this New York Times article may come as something of a shock.

Dick Norwood, 61, a semi-retired businessman who lives in a community for residents 55 and older in Crest Hill, Ill., spotted the Wii in a mall in December. After playing Wii bowling with two other couples at home, he persuaded Giovan’s, a local Italian restaurant, to begin a “seniors only” Wii bowling league, where nine couples now show up every Thursday.

“When I started calling people about it, they had no idea what I was talking about, and they were laughing at me saying, ‘You want to start a bowling league on a video game in a bar?’ ” he said. “Well, we got there the first time, and we were there for six solid hours. In the past, I probably would have agreed that video games are just for kids. But I’ll tell you, at our age when you bowl for real, you wake up with aches and pains. Those balls aren’t light. But with this you’re getting good exercise, but you’re not aching the next day.”

Relevance: Perhaps video games can make our brains smarter. I am wondering whether there is any research with the elderly and pervasive games or even alternate reality games? I am wondering about how they might collaborate differently vs. college students in a game played in an urban setting.