Intergenerational Workshop on Digital Game Creation Using Scratch

Participatory game design aims to foster the ability to promote inclusivity and strengthen social solidarity among diverse groups. Generally speaking, participatory game design is a process which aims to engage end-users not only as a players or testers, but also as active participants of the step-by-step decisions that take place during the game design process (Romero, Davidson, Cucinelli, Ouellet & Arthur, 2016). The process and experience of collaborating on a game design project provides participants with meaningful, fulfilling experiences that may bring them closer together and help raise critical awareness of the lived experiences of other individuals and groups, specifically related to seniors and technology in this context.

With this process in mind, we created a workshop concept to examine how participants from 11 to 75-years-old can create game prototypes through collaboration and to analyze senior’s perceptions of technologies; modes of usage; older and newer technologies; and ageism and technology through collaborative and participatory methods using Scratch.

The primary objectives of this project are as follows:

1. To better understand the best approaches to intergenerational participatory game design
2. To understand the outcomes of intergenerational participatory game design.
3. To use Scratch to co-design, through intergenerational perspectives, games that reflect themes related to Montreal.