GAME

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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GAME FOUR IDEAS

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GAME is an acronym that stands for four main

ideas of my MFA thesis , a imed at seniors. These

ideas are: gain an edge, activate your brainpower,

moderate behav iors and expand your net work.

GAME IS AN ACRONYM THAT STANDS FOR GAIN, ACTIVATE, MODERATE, AND EXPAND

GAME

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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GAME CHINESE CHESS

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MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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GAME CHESS

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MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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Primary Audience

Seniors who want to

be mentally a ler t and

stay connected

to the communit y.

Secondary Audience

Seniors’ fami ly and

f r iends who care

about their hea lth.

OUR GOAL IS TO PROMOTE GAMES BENEFICIAL TO SENIORS’ HEALTH AND MENTAL ACUITY

BRIEF

GAME BRIEF

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My grandfather, Delong Chen, loves to t r y out his

luck and complex mathematical formulas to track the

odds of lot ter y winning numbers in his journal.

Once a week, he plays four-color cards and Chinese

chess, while hanging out with his ret ired f r iends.

They get together following their af ternoon naps, sit

around on park benches and folding chairs, discuss

their family, argue about politics, bet money and enjoy

the games.

In contrast, my father is the only one in my family

who is strongly against gaming. He is a diligent man,

always works hard and never gambles, not to mention

taking r isks. He has had the same job for almost 30

years and doesn’t t ravel much. He thinks games

are a waste of money. Therefore, he buys grocer ies

for my grandfather rather than gives him money

to make the purchase himself.

Inspired by the story of my family, I chose the topic

of promoting games of ski l l as my thesis. Many

seniors can play games with responsibly, enjoy them

in moderat ion and par t icipate in act iv it ies af ter

ret irement, just l ike my grandfather.

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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Rani Desai

Associate Professor, Psychiatr y

at Yale School of Medicine

“MORE SOCIALLY AND COGNITIVELY ACTIVE ELDERS ARE, IN GENERAL, HEALTHIER.”

GAIN

GAIN GAIN AN EDGE

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GAME is a non-prof it organizat ion that promotes

games benef ic ia l to seniors. Our mission is to pul l

ever yone together and encourage seniors to hang

out more af ter ret ired. We provide information and

of fer solut ions for senior c it i zens to exper ience

gaming act iv it ies in a healthy way.

The first step to healthy gaming is becoming educated.

Understanding the potential of losing and winning

will teach players to make responsible decisions and

experience the fun of competition. Staying informed

can reduce potent ia l add ic t ion and prov ide g reat

benef its to indiv iduals and societ y.

Gambling as a social issue has been centered on

the debate between addict ion and economic growth.

Most people have a negat ive stereot ype of gaming

but ignore potential benefits. However, banning this

industr y wil l only cause more problems, just l ike

Prohibit ion did dur ing the twent ies. On the other

hand, caut ion and educat ion can ut i l i ze gaming

benef its whi le minimiz ing it s potent ia l for harm.

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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Numbers of studies have revealed that being mentally,

physically and socially act ive helps seniors prevent

dement ia d isease and memor y loss. The Ya le s tudy,

published in the volume 161 of American Journal of

Psychiatry, found an interesting correlation between

recreational gambling and good health among the

elderly. This survey, The Gambling Impact and Behavior

Study, was conducted by associate professor, Rani

Desai, and her colleagues of Psychiatry at Yale School

of Medicine. They invest igated a nat ionally

representat ive sample of 2117 adults v ia telephone

GAIN GAIN AN EDGE

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interviews. In addit ion, they compared the health

status of recreat ional gamblers who had gambled in

the past years with persons who had not gambled.

However, the recreational senior gamblers among this

telephone interview are healthier because they are

healthy to begin with and not just because they gamble.

Although the researchers were unsure why there

is posit ive associat ion of good hea lth in moderate

senior gamblers, possible reasons are increased

physica l ac t iv it y, socia l recreat ion and cognit ive

ac t ivat ion as wel l .

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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ACTIVATE

Gene Cohen

Former Director, Nat ional Inst itute of

Mental Health Center on Aging

“BRAIN CELLS ACTUALLY THICKEN WHEN YOU SOLVE PUZZLES AND PLAY GAMES.”

ACTIVATE ACTIVATE YOUR BRAINPOWER

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Gaming is deeply embedded in our cu lture and

h is tor y. R isk tak ing is inherent in human nature.

People bet on ever y thing even tossing a coin to

make one’s decision. Players exper ience the thr i l l

of winning f rom games just l ike get t ing v ictor y

in real l ife. Both lucky guess and skil lful predict ion

wil l usually br ing unexpected outcome.

To maintain brainpower as the brain ages, the best

thing to do is to keep seniors’ brain active. As stated

by the Franklin Inst itute and the Alzheimer’s

Associat ion, human bra in beg in w ithered w ithout

st imuli. “As with our muscles, we can st rengthen

our neural pathways with brain exercise, or we can

let them wither. The pr inciple is the same: Use

it or lose it ,” pointed by Dr, John Ratey in his book,

From a User’s Guide to the Brain. Stay ing act ive

not only develops seniors’ mental acuit y but also

promotes their happiness and v ital it y.

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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Some games, like poker, require players to concentrate,

memorize gaming graphics, and think of numbers

and st rategy. To le t the elderly easi ly famil iar w ith

t ypes of games, the following chart provides listed

compar ison according to features of games such as

st rategy, chance and ect..

ACTIVATE ACTIVATE YOUR BRAINPOWER

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Ping Pong Pool

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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Golf Bingo » Lotter ies

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

ACTIVATE ACTIVATE YOUR BRAINPOWER

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Chess » Board Game Blackjack

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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Poker Crape

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

ACTIVATE ACTIVATE YOUR BRAINPOWER

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Slot Machine Roulet te

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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Online Gaming

Assessment

Chance

Computat ion

Concentrat ion

Interact ion

Judgement

Knowledge

Recreation

Stimulat ion

Ski l l

Strategy

Moderat ion

MODERATE

Casino Control Commission

State of New Jersey

“BET WITH YOUR HEAD, NOT OVER IT.”

MODERATE MODERATE BEHAVIORS

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As New Jersey Casino Control Commission points

out: “Bet with your head, not over it .” A f l ip of

a coin doesn’t make l i fe easier, but jus t th ink ing

of the outcome s t imulates our bra in. Play ing

games s t rateg ica l ly does not requ ire us to gamble

l ike mathemat ica l exper t s but to unders tand

our ba lanced and moderate be t s .

Moderation is key to f ight against problem gambling.

Being responsible about gambling means knowing

whether to play, how to play and how much money

to spend, according to Bryan Wright, vice president

and general council of KSL Resort. Gaming behaviors

can be managed and control led by learning more

about how players themselves spend their t ime and

money. Being informed and educated about

prevent ion is a lso a good way to balance their bets.

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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For senior adults who choose to gamble, the following

guidelines can help to keep gambling from becoming

a problem suggested by Depar tment of Communit y

Health of Michigan.¹

» Never gamble with

money you can’t af ford

to lose.

» Always gamble with

others and not alone.

Having fr iends,

family, or colleagues

nearby can keep

gambling f rom get t ing

out of hand.

» Don't use household

money for gambling.

» Don't dr ink a lcohol

whi le gambl ing.

» Set l imits on how much

t ime and money you

spend on gambling, stop

when limits are reached.

1 Depar tment of Communit y Health. “Informat ion about Some Types of Gambling.” michigan.gov. MDCH, n.d. Web. 12 March. 2011.

MODERATE MODERATE BEHAVIORS

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Gambling Aware

For the facts about gambling,

United Kingdom

“MANAGE YOUR GAMBLING BY LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME AND MONEY.”

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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EXPAND

The Franklin Inst itute

Resource for

Science Learning

“CONSIDER YOUR BRAIN A MUSCLE, AND FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO FLEX IT.”

Accordingly, GAME is establ ished as an agency

that del ivers guidance. Through GAME project , we

prov ide informat ion solely for educat ional and

informational purpose. Players are suggested to obtain

help from preventative centers or medical resource

at first sight of problem gaming behaviors. Remember,

moderat ion and responsibil it y are the best way

to f ight addict ion. Stay ing socially and cognit ively

act ive can always help to maintain mental acuit y

of the elderly. We sincerely hope senior cit i zens can

stay connected to communit ies by play ing games

that they enjoy.

EXPAND EXPAND YOUR NET WORK

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For more information, please visit

us at smartgame.org

MFA THESIS GAME

ID # 02457688 HSINJU PHOEBE CHEN

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GAME SMARTGAME.ORG

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