Adaptive Gaming as an Occupation: A Phenomenological Study
Start Date
4-22-2020 12:00 AM
End Date
4-22-2020 12:00 AM
Major Field of Study
Occupational Therapy
Student Type
Graduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Laura Greiss Hess, PhD, OTR/L
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
Occupational therapists facilitate the use of adaptive equipment for individuals with disabilities to increase their independence in occupations. Video gaming is an occupation for children which involves the aspects of play, social interaction, problem solving, motor skills, and entertainment (Parham & Fazio, 1997). Current gaming research is focused on adaptive gaming as a rehabilitation intervention for children with neuromotor disabilities (Machado et al., 2017; Page, Barrington, Edwards & Barnett, 2017; Jannink et al., 2008). The current literature is missing phenomenological studies analyzing motor and social skills and lived experiences during game play. The Microsoft Xbox Adaptive Controller™ provides the opportunity to examine these phenomena. This qualitative study will hold a “Games Club” and use semi-structured interviews and video/audio recordings to observe the viewpoint of the child, peers, and parent(s) to understand the impact of adaptive gaming on the child, accessibility needs, motor skills, social interactions, inclusion, and meaning from each participant. Now that mainstream gaming technology can be adapted to provide access for individual needs, we have a unique opportunity to empirically examine this occupation and contribute to the assistive technology scholarship. Our research questions are: (1) What are the lived experiences of the gamers and their families through their participation in the “Games Club?” (2) What phenomena can be observed during the occupation of gaming as evidenced by video and audio data? Our presentation will include preliminary findings and video data of our gamers engaged in the “Games Club.” Implications for occupational therapy practice will be presented.
Adaptive Gaming as an Occupation: A Phenomenological Study
Occupational therapists facilitate the use of adaptive equipment for individuals with disabilities to increase their independence in occupations. Video gaming is an occupation for children which involves the aspects of play, social interaction, problem solving, motor skills, and entertainment (Parham & Fazio, 1997). Current gaming research is focused on adaptive gaming as a rehabilitation intervention for children with neuromotor disabilities (Machado et al., 2017; Page, Barrington, Edwards & Barnett, 2017; Jannink et al., 2008). The current literature is missing phenomenological studies analyzing motor and social skills and lived experiences during game play. The Microsoft Xbox Adaptive Controller™ provides the opportunity to examine these phenomena. This qualitative study will hold a “Games Club” and use semi-structured interviews and video/audio recordings to observe the viewpoint of the child, peers, and parent(s) to understand the impact of adaptive gaming on the child, accessibility needs, motor skills, social interactions, inclusion, and meaning from each participant. Now that mainstream gaming technology can be adapted to provide access for individual needs, we have a unique opportunity to empirically examine this occupation and contribute to the assistive technology scholarship. Our research questions are: (1) What are the lived experiences of the gamers and their families through their participation in the “Games Club?” (2) What phenomena can be observed during the occupation of gaming as evidenced by video and audio data? Our presentation will include preliminary findings and video data of our gamers engaged in the “Games Club.” Implications for occupational therapy practice will be presented.
Comments
This presentation was accepted for the Scholarly and Creative Works Conference at Dominican University of California. The Conference was canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic