ABSTRACT
As social interaction transpires extensively in digital realms, the potential of digital gaming platforms as Intergenerational Contact Zones cannot be ignored. The impact of intergenerational gaming has been a pervasive theme in existing literature, underlining social inclusion benefits such as family bonding, knowledge transfer, social competence, and well-being. Yet, gameplay design processes and factors for intergenerational digital gaming have been less discussed. By reviewing empirical literature from this domain, this chapter presents design principles and recommendations for digital gaming platforms intended as Intergenerational Contact Zones. Generational capabilities, roles, and interests should be considered in the pre-development research, gameplay design content, and supporting features, so as to achieve the intended social dynamics via gameplay. Interplay between virtual and physical spaces is also a compelling factor in establishing meaningful and long-lasting intergenerational interactions. Although these recommendations serve as general applications, they are intended to pave the way for future studies that aim to examine this discourse for specific digital gaming genres and platforms.
