# Gamification and Immersive Experiences: A Gamified Approach for Promoting Active Aging
## 2 Background  
### Active Aging and Addressing Ageism Through Digital Interventions  
With the global population of individuals aged 60 and above expected to double by 2050, supporting healthy aging has become a critical priority for societal well-being [5]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines active aging as \"the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security to enhance the quality of life as people age\" [5]. This approach emphasizes physical well-being and psychological, social, and economic stability, all of which are essential components of aging well. Active aging is grounded in three pillars: participation, which ensures older adults remain socially engaged and integrated into their communities; health, which focuses on preventive measures to promote a healthy lifestyle and delay dependency; and security, which provides protection and support, preserving dignity and safety [6]. Active aging involves maintaining physical and mental health while improving the quality of life for older adults. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, mental stimulation, and nurturing social relationships are key recommendations for active aging, encompassingpractices that motivate, stimulate, and integrate older adults into society. However, societal attitudes toward aging present challenges. The term \"ageism\" refers to negative attitudes toward older individuals and those held by older adults toward younger generations. These attitudes and persistent issues like social isolation, particularly in Western societies, underscore the need for innovative solutions to promote active aging. Incorporating information and communication technologies (ICT) into digital entertainment provides a unique opportunity to redesign entertainment systems for older adults, fostering their inclusion in digital culture and promoting active aging. By integrating digital tools and cognitive training applications, older adults can participate in activities that support cognitive, physical, and social engagement [5]. Recent research highlights the benefits of gamified cognitive interventions, particularly their ability to enhance memory, attention, processing speed, and executive functions--domains often affected by aging [3; 4; 7; 8; 13]. Cognitive training applications such as CogniFit, NeuroNation, and Elevate have been specifically tailored to address the cognitive needs of older populations, focusing on brain stimulation, dementia mitigation, and personalized mental training, respectively [8; 9]. For instance, a meta-analysis by [PERSON] et al. (2022) [9] on commercially available cognitive training programs reported small but significant improvements in cognitive domains for both healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Programs like BrainHQ and CogniFit demonstrated near-transfer effects (improvements in trained tasks) but exhibited limited far-transfer effects (generalized improvements in untrained tasks). Similarly, [PERSON] et al. (2017) [8] reviewed computerized cognitive training programs, reporting moderate efficacy in enhancing processing speed and memory but noting challenges in achieving sustained improvements across diverse cognitive tasks. These findings indicate that, while cognitive training programs can effectively target specific skills, translating these gains into everyday activities remains a critical challenge. Inmersive technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), provide promising avenues for engaging older adults in environments that support cognitive health and emotional well-being. These technologies create interactive, sensory-rich experiences that stimulate cognitive functions and offer therapeutic benefits. For example, VR has been successfully used in healthcare settings to manage pain and anxiety in older patients by immersing them in calming virtual environments that divert attention from physical discomfort [13].