Esnard Catherine, Haza Marion, Grangeiro Rebeca
Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l'Apprentissage, Département de Psychologie, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
Laboratoire de Psychologie Clinique, Psychopathologie, Psychanalyse, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
Front Psychol. 2024 Oct 18;15:1460966. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1460966. eCollection 2024.
The inclusion of older players in the gaming world is growing rapidly, leading to the emergence of specific categories for them at major esport events. The aim of this study is to analyze the psychological issues faced by older people when engaging with the competitive context of esport.
The study was conducted in 2021 within the French association Silver Geek, which offers digital workshops using Nintendo Wii consoles to older people living in retirement homes and organizes annual amateur competitions between teams of older adults. This qualitative study involved 16 participants (eight women, eight men) aged 63 to 97 years. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the motivations, emotional well-being, and social impact of esport on older people.
The results show that older people who participate in esport are motivated by the discovery and mastery of new game skills, as well as the pleasure of performance through social comparison. All experience a psychological well-being that translates into intense positive emotions. Moreover, the esport context, whether during the pre-competition workshops or the competitions themselves, proved to be a strong vector for positive social relationships, especially with the young e-sports coaches. However, this activity had little impact on existing family relationships.
This study highlights the potential of esport as a recreational activity to promote mental health and social integration in older adults. The challenge for future research is to identify the levers that will enable this activity to become a true medium for intergenerational communication.
游戏界中老年玩家的数量正在迅速增长，这导致在一些大型电子竞技赛事中出现了针对他们的特定组别。本研究的目的是分析老年人在参与电子竞技竞争环境时所面临的心理问题。
该研究于2021年在法国“银色极客”协会开展，该协会为住在养老院的老年人提供使用任天堂Wii游戏机的数字工作坊，并组织老年人团队之间的年度业余比赛。这项定性研究涉及16名年龄在63岁至97岁之间的参与者（8名女性，8名男性）。采用半结构化访谈来探究电子竞技对老年人的动机、情绪健康和社会影响。
结果表明，参与电子竞技的老年人的动机是发现并掌握新的游戏技能，以及通过社会比较获得表现的乐趣。所有人都体验到一种转化为强烈积极情绪的心理幸福感。此外，电子竞技环境，无论是在赛前工作坊还是比赛期间，都被证明是积极社会关系的强大载体，尤其是与年轻的电子竞技教练。然而，这项活动对现有的家庭关系影响很小。
本研究强调了电子竞技作为一种促进老年人心理健康和社会融合的娱乐活动的潜力。未来研究面临的挑战是确定能使这项活动成为代际交流真正媒介的杠杆。
